Ice Breaker: Sesshomaru's Girl
by Just-a-little-crazy and I-am-just-stupid and I-need-a-life
Summary: I really don't know how to make a summary but I'll try. Lord Sesshomaru meets a hanyou. Will he join allies with her or try to kill her? SesshomaruOOC
1. Chapter 1

"Lord Sesshoumaru! Lord Sesshoumaru!"  
Jaken came running up the hill to disrupt Sesshoumaru's thoughts. Sesshoumaru shot Jaken his trademark icy gaze.  
"What is it, Jaken? Where is Rin?"  
"Well..uh, you see..."Jaken faltered. Watching Rin had been his responsibility, and Sesshoumaru could be dangerous when he was angry. Nonetheless, Jaken summoned up his courage, and finished his sentence.  
"Well, Rin was running,and she tripped and fell. I think her leg is broken!" He sighed with relief when he saw that no harm had come his way. Lord Sesshoumaru, however, had already disappeared to go find Rin. Jaken ran towards where Rin was, and saw that Sesshoumaru already had Rin in his arms. Sesshoumaru looked at Jaken for a moment, then said,"I healed her leg, but she needs to rest." Jaken nodded; he was still worried that Sesshoumaru would say something. Sesshoumaru turned around. "Oh, and Jaken?"  
Jaken cringed."Please watch Rin while I am away." Sesshoumaru finished.  
Jaken sighed with relief. "Oh yes, Lord Sesshoumaru!", he responded. All he heard was silence.  
Sesshoumaru walked through the forest. The daylight was rapidly fading. _Rin is always getting hurt somehow. It's a good thing I already have Tenseiga._( yes, he thought that. Now cut me some slack.)  
He was so consumed in his thoughts, that he didn't notice he had arrived at the village entrance. The voices of two men nearby brought him down to the present. Stopepd abruptly, so as to not call attention to himself.  
"...well, I lost an entire basket of fruit! I put it down by my door, and the next second it just disappeared!"  
"Well that's nothing! I lost my best sword! It was hanging above my fireplace as always, and when I woke up the next morning, it was gone!"  
"What do you think is doing this?"  
"Not what. _Who_. I've been hearing rumors that a half-demon has been stealing in other villages."  
"You mean Inu-Yasha?"   
"Nah. This half-demon's different. This one's a girl!"   
_Well that's all I need to hear. I better go._ Sesshoumaru came out from behind the bushes and began walking back to the campfire. _Maybe Rin will be awake by now._ As he got closer he heard Rin's voice singing. _It sounds like she's feeling better._   
"Lord Sesshoumaru! Lord Sesshoumaru!", Rin came running up to him.  
"I see your leg is completely healed Rin. I'm glad."  
Rin was delighted, thinking that Sesshoumaru had actually been worried about her.  
"Yes, Lord Sesshoumaru!. I'm feeling much better."  
"Good. Then go rest. We continue in the morning."  
Sesshoumaru sent her off to her cot. He went and sat down at the base of a nearby tree. _The last thing we need is another half-demon. We have enough with my brother. Still...most people have heard of that worm. No one has heard of this girl before. How strange._

"INUYASHA!" Kagome's shriek pierced the peaceful morning air.  
"What...did I tell you...about eating...MY GARLIC POTATO CHIPS?  
Miroku awoke with a start. _There goes my beauty sleep_,he thought to himself.  
Sango came out from the bushes nearby and sat down beside the monk.  
"Oh boy. Inuyasha's digging his own grave again.", she comented.  
Inuyasha's voice could be heard across the clearing.  
"I'm sorry! I just couldn't resist myself! I mean, I saw your backback lying open, with the chips pouring out, and I-",Kagome cut him off.  
"Last time we went to see Jineji, you ate his gift. And now, You did it again! Inuyasha-"  
Inuyasha let out a whine."No...don't!"  
"SIT!"   
Miroku and Sango winced.  
"That sounded like a pretty big 'sit", Miroku said. Sango got up and went to see Inuyasha. She gasped when she saw the hole.  
"Hey Miroku! Come see this!", she called to the monk.  
Miroku got up and walked over to Sango.   
"Woah! That has gotta be around six feet deep! Kagome must be really testy today."  
Inuyasha crawled out of the hole.  
"What'd she do that for?", he complained. "It was only a bag of chips!"  
Sango grinned."It's a girl thing. She'll be fine in a couple of days. 'Till then, I suggest you try not to tick her off."  
Inuyasha walked off. Miroku stared at Sango.  
"Does that apply for me too?", he asked.  
Sango laughed. "Yep. You should be careful too. I wouldn't try anything lecherous, or you might find yourself missing a hand."  
Miroku grimaced. "Don't worry about that. Wait, do you get like this too? Cuz if you do, you should be careful where you aim that bomerang of yours when I'm around!"  
Sango just grinned.  
"Lord Sesshoumaru! Lord Sesshoumaru! I'm hungry!", Rin whined.  
Sesshoumaru stared ahead. "We'll stop in about a half-hour. You can get some food then", was all he said.  
"All right, Lord Sesshoumaru.", replied Rin.  
Sesshoumaru couldn't stop thinking about what he'd heard the night before in the village.   
_A half-demon that no one has ever seen before. How strange. There aren't that many half-demons around. Just my mangy brother and that healer Jinenji. And this one can steal right from underneath people's noses. She must move fast. Can't say I'm interested, though. And she better stay out of my way._  
"Lord Sesshoumaru?", came Rin's tentative voice.  
Sesshoumaru sighed. "Allright, Rin. Go get some food. Jaken, go with her."  
Jaken bowed and ran to catch up with Rin.

_He's running. Rin is in his arms. He has to get her away. Something is after her, and he must save her. Suddenly, he trips. A shadow comes over him and Rin. Now, he's falling. Falling into a dark void. He can hear Rin calling him. But he heeps falling...falling...falling..._  
Sesshoumaru awoke with a start. He sat up and found that he was gasping, and was covered in a cold sweat.  
_It was a dream,_ he thought to himself. _It was all a dream._  
He laid back down on his cot and proceded to go back to sleep. Unknowingly, Rin was laid down on her cot wide awake.  
She had heard all the noise Sesshoumaru had made, and had even heard him calling her name. She had almost gone to see what was wrong when Sesshoumaru had awoken. Now, she proceded to think.  
_How strange. I've never heard Lord Sesshoumaru so agitated. And why was he calling my name?_  
She then rolled over on her bed, and promptly went to sleep.  
The next morning,Sesshoumaru got up early. He got dressed, and decided to go for a walk.  
_I need something to clear my mind after last night._  
He had walked for a little while, when he heard a rustling noise behind him. He quickly turned around to see what caused the noise, and found Rin looking at him. Rin was a little afraid; She didn't want to make Lord Sesshoumaru mad.  
"L-Lord Sesshoumaru? Would you mind if I,ummm,w-walked with y-you?" She waited with baited breath.  
Sesshoumaru stared at her for a few seconds. He slowly nodded. Rin let out a sigh of relief and ran to catch up with Sesshoumaru. Sesshoumaru was a bit amused. He didn't show it though.   
_With Jaken still asleep, she must have felt alone. She must miss her family._  
Sesshoumaru and Rin Continued to walk in silence. suddenly, Sesshoumaru saw Inuyasha and Kagome heading torwards them. There was a sick microsecond when everyone realized who was coming eachother's way. Inuyasha and Kagome walked up to Sesshoumaru and Rin. Inuyasha's hand was resting on his sword hilt. Rin and Kagome saw eachother, and smiled lightly. For Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru, however, things weren't going so well.  
"Damn it, Sesshoumaru! What are you doing here?", asked Inuyasha.  
"Move aside. I have no buisness with you today. Just go on your way.", Sesshoumaru replied coldly. While Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru were arguing, Rin began talking to Kagome.   
"I don't see why they can't just get along. Inuyasha seems nice, and they are brothers after all.", Said Rin.  
Kagome replied,"Sometimes I wonder that myself, but I guess their feud goes much deeper than their family bonds."  
Rin just sighed. Finally, Sesshoumaru and Rin parted from Inuyasha and Kagome. Kagome spoke up.  
"Inuyasha, don't you find it strange knowing how he hates humans, that Sesshoumaru, hangs around with that little girl all the time?"  
Inuyasha looked at her."What should I care who Sesshoumaru hangs around with? It's his problem! Sure, at one point he looked towards the girl, and I'm sure I saw his eyes soften! But maybe it was just my imagination. The bastard could never care about anyone. Only himself, and his power."  
Kagome stared at a spot ahead. _I think Sesshoumaru might really be starting to care about someone. The strange thing is that that "someone" is human!_  
Meanwhile, Sesshoumaru and Rin walked on in silence. Rin Spoke up.  
"Why are you and your brother always fighting, Lord Sesshoumaru?" she asked him timidly.  
Sesshoumaru stared ahead.  
"It's problems between us two. Maybe I'll tell you when you're older." Rin giggled.   
"Hmmm. Okay!" Then she skipped away from his side to chase at a butterfly. Sesshoumaru watched her, deep in thought.   
_She's quite different for a human. I still wonder why she doesn't leave and go live in a village. After all, I can't offer her much more than food and security._  
"LORD SESSHOUMARUUUUUU!" Rin's shriek pierced the afternoon silence.


	2. Chapter 2

LORD SESSHOUMARUUUUUU!"  
Rin's shriek made a sharp contrast with the afternoon silence. Sesshoumaru used all of his yokai speed to fly over to Rin and he saw a most startling spectacle. A huge octopus-like demon had wrapped one of it's slimy tentacles around Rin, and was swinging around the rest of it's nine tentacles. Before he could do anything, Sesshoumaru saw something fly around him. When he followed it with his eyes, he saw that a girl caught it. She had her back to him, but even from where he was standing, he could see this girl had cat ears, and a big fluffy tail. She was dressed rather strangely, wearing long pants and a tank top. What the girl had caught was a boomerang, which she proceeded to throw with an immense force.  
"KITSUIRA FIRAGA BLADE!"  
Sesshoumaru saw the boomerang burst into flames, but it didn't get consumed! The boomerang headed right at the demon, and sliced it neatly in half. The demon uttered one last ear-piercing shriek, and then shattered. The girl stood there for a moment, and then leaped into the air just in time to catch an unconscious Rin. She set the Rin down gently on the grass, and then jumped up to catch Sacred Jewel Shard that had come out of the demon. She tucked the shard into a small leather bag hanging at her waist, and looked up. She was startled to see Sesshoumaru oberving her, but quickly regained her composure. She met his cold gaze squarely with her own, then leaped up a tree, disapearing from view.  
Sesshoumaru still hadn't moved from where he was standing. He suddenly realized that Rin was still lying on the grass a few feet away from him. He dashed over to her and picked her up. He took one last look at the spot where he last saw the girl, left in a flash.  
Later when Sesshoumaru and Rin were back at the camp, Rin came around.  
"Ugh, what happened? There was a big slimy demon, and then, a girl-" Jaken interrupted her.  
"Quit talking, you silly child! You'll wear yourself out!"  
Rin promptly shut up. Jaken proceeded.  
"That's better. Yes, there was a demon. But Lord Sesshoumaru brought you back here. You're safe now."  
Rin looked around, and then asked,  
"But where's Lord Sesshoumaru?"  
"He went off on his own for a while. I suppose he'll be back by nightfall. Now get some rest.",Jaken replied.  
Rin slept.

A little ways off, Sesshoumaru sat under a tree looking up at the night sky. He was thinking about the days events.  
_I'm sure that was the half-demon the villagers were talking about. At least, she looked like a half-demon. Why is she here? Could she be a part of a plot from Naraku? And that demon, the big slimy one. I've never seen one like him before. He was different. He didn't talk or anything; just attacked. Where did it come from?_  
As he was pondering these things, something fell from the tree and hit his head! As he was rubbing the sore spot where the thing had hit, he reached for the object, and found it to be rather strange. It was a small, round, silver disk. It had a face engraved on it, but he couldn't read the markings around it. He looked up into the tree, but all he saw was leaves. Very perturbed, he got up and headed back towards camp. When he got there, Jaken greeted him.  
"Uh, Lord Sesshoumaru! Rin awoke a few hours ago, and was a bit dazed, but she'll be alright."   
Jaken stopped abruptly. He looked as if he wanted to say more, though. Sesshoumaru noted this.  
"What is it Jaken?", he asked. Jaken looked rather unsure about whether to say it, but he did anyway.  
"Lord Sesshoumaru,uh, how is it that even though Rin is always getting in trouble, and getting hurt, and holding you back...you, um,haven't had a village adopt her?"  
He cringed awaiting a sharp reply. Sesshoumaru pondered this for a moment, and then said,  
"Understand, Jaken, that Rin chooses to come of her own accord. If I have not left you in some village, I would not think of doing the same to her."  
He walked away and started to prepare his cot, leaving Jaken staring dumbfounded at him.  
"I should have been a ferryman, like my mother wanted.", he murmured to himself. And then went off to prepare his own cot.   
Unknowingly nearby, someone observed them atop of one of the trees. "Sesshoumaru", she murmured.  
"His name is Sesshoumaru."

The lone figure sat on a branch in tree above the camp fire. She was silent, not wanting to wake anyone up and attract unwanted attention. She held a Sacred Jewel Shard between her thumb and her index finger, and was examining it closely.  
_So why am I here? What am I doing in the Feudal Era? And what the hell do these little shards have to do with anything? That's gonna take a while to figure out. But I have time. It's not like anyone is expecting me back home. It's not like I have a home._  
She kept looking at the shard closely, as if it could tell her where to locate the other pieces.  
_It looks like the only way to find the shards, is to kill demons. Good thing I can sense where the shards are. I'm not sure how, but I guess I'll find out at some point._  
She sighed and put the shard in the little leather pouch hanging from her waist. She looked down towards the sleeping figures below.  
_Close call today. I should have known that that little girl's cries would attract someone. "Lord Sesshoumaru", she called him. He was strange. He looked human, yet...he wasn't. And his eyes. They were so cold. But they softened when he went to pick up the little girl. Who is he? And what's his relationship to the little girl?_  
She yawned.  
_I better get some sleep. And I should be more careful when I'm around that Sesshoumaru. I better make sure no more money drops on his head! He didn't seem to know what it was though. After all, this is Feudal Japan, and I'm from modern America._  
She yawned again. Closing her eyes, she thought, _Good thing I took Japanese in school. At least I can talk to the people around here._  
without another thought, she slept.

"Inuyasha, what are you doing?"  
Kagome looked at her friend strangely. Inuyasha had his nose up in the air, and was taking short, quick sniffs. Inuyasha paused.  
"What does it look like I'm doing? I smell someone, and if I'm not mistaken, it should be-"  
What seemed like a whirlwind came out of the bushes and ran over Inuyasha, ramming him into the dirt. Inuyasha got up and angrily brushed himself off, just in time to see the whirlwind stop in front of Kagome, and turn into a young man.  
"-Kouga", finished Inuyasha, with a disgusted look on his face.  
Kouga didn't pay any attention to Inuyasha, but took Kagome's hands.  
"Kagome! How are you?" Kagome blushed a bit, and said, "I'm happy to see you too, Kouga. What are you doing here? Aren't you still looking for Naraku?"  
Kouga, still holding on to Kagome's hands, replied, "I am, but I saw you a little ways off, and decided to drop by."   
Kagome blushed again, but Inuyasha watching all of this couldn't take it any longer and got in between Kouga and Kagome, breaking their handhold.  
"Well, thanks for dropping by! Now do me a favour, and drop OUT!" He directed this at Kouga.  
Kouga glared at Inuyasha, but then smiled at Kagome.  
"I'll be going then," he said. "But here, Kagome."  
And he held out a little bracelet made of wolf teeth chained on a thin piece of leather. Kagome blushed, yet again, as he fastened the bracelet around her wrist.  
"There.", he said. "Now you'll always have something to remind you of the pack...and of me."   
Kagome looked at the bracelet, and then said, "Thank you, Kouga. This is very sweet of you."  
Kouga blushed, and looked very pleased with himself. Inuyasha, however, wasn't very happy with the little performance. He grabbed a hold of Kouga's ponytail, and whispered so only Kouga could hear,"Will you stop hitting on Kagome! Now get out of here!"  
Kouga glared fiercely at Inuyasha, turned to Kagome, waved, and then left in a whirlwind. Inuyasha, who was looking to make sure Kouga left, turned around to find the others staring at him.  
"What?", he demanded.   
"Don't you think that this feud you have with Kouga may be due to...jealousy?",asked Miroku.  
Inuyasha looked insulted. "Me? Jealous of that pretty boy! As if!" Then he began walking, with the rest of them following. Inside he was thinking, _Why AM I fighting with Kouga all the time? It can't be that I'm jealous! Can it?_

"Rin, Jaken, get up. We need to be on our way."  
Sesshoumaru was already dressed, and his cot was neatly packed and set on Ah-un. Rin yawned and turned around on her cot.  
"Just...five more minutes, papa!",she mumbled.  
Sesshoumaru's face softened slightly. Rin had lost her family to bandits a while back, and he knew how much she missed them.  
"Up, Rin."  
Rin sat up and looked up sleepily at Sesshoumaru.  
"Alright, Lord Sesshoumaru. I'm up."  
Jaken, on the other hand, was already dressed and was packing his cot away.  
"You heard Lord Sesshoumaru, Rin. Up!" Rin shook herself awake, and started to pack her cot away.  
Sesshoumaru walked ahead to see where they would head. The sun was just beginning to come over the mountains, and the sky was tinted a light rose. The air smelled faintly of honeysuckle. Sesshoumaru decided to keep going east towards where the demonic aura had been spotted last.  
When he walked back to the camp, everything was packed away, Rin was sitting on Ah-Un and Jaken was standing beside the enormous demon. Sesshoumaru nodded, and they set off. A figure observed them from the trees and then set off following behind them leaping from tree to tree with cat-like grace. 

"Lord Sesshoumaru, can I go get something to eat?" Rin's stomach rumbled as she said this.  
Sesshoumaru glanced back at her. "We'll reach a river soon enough. You can catch some fish there."  
Rin giggled and nodded. "Alright, Lord Sesshoumaru!", she said.   
They arrived at the river, and the water was so clear, Rin had no trouble catching some fish. They made a campfire and roasted the fish. After they had all eaten, they put out the fire, buried the remains of the fish, and went on their way. After a little while, Sesshoumaru could see that Rin and Jaken were getting tired. They had been walking all day, and the sun would set in a few hours.   
Sesshoumaru decided that they'd gone far enough for today.  
"Rin, Jaken, set up camp here. I'm going to go ahead on my own for a while"   
He never explained where he was going whenever he left Rin and Jaken on their own, though he was never too far away in case danger came upon Rin.  
Rin and Jaken nodded, and began to build a fire.   
Sesshoumaru began to walk ahead. He nonchalantly began to look around, suspiciously.  
He was actually trying to see if there was anybody around. He had smelled a scent of cherry blossoms and vanilla last night, and he sensed that the same person was following them now. He wasn't sure whether to let whatever was following around come out on it's own, or whether he should hunt it down. He didn't want Rin or Jaken to get hurt, and this might not be a good presence. He sighed.  
_I know something is following me, but I can't see it. It always manages to stay at the edges of my vision. I guess it'll reveal itself when it's ready._  
He began heading back to camp.   
Back at the campfire, Jaken and Rin were setting out their cots. Rin stopped for a moment and then looked at Jaken. "Master Jaken?" Jaken stopped what he's doing and looked at Rin.  
"What is it, Rin?", he asked.  
"When Lord Sesshoumaru makes his empire, and I've found away to stay with him forever, what would I do in the empire?"  
Jaken looked thoughtful for a second.   
"Silly child! What makes you think that you'll ever live long enough to be in Lord Sesshoumaru's empire?"  
Rin thought to herself, and then smiled. "I'm sure I will, Jaken." she got in her cot, and promptly went to sleep.  
Jaken looked at her for a few moments.  
_Poor child. She still thinks she'll find a way to live longer than humans are supposed to. I suppose I wouldn't mind her living for a bit more. But there isn't a way._(Yes.He thought that. Now get off my back.)  
He got into his cot, and went to sleep as well.

The girl sat on top of a branch in a tree near the camp fire.  
_Ooh! It's so cold, I wish I could go down there to warm myself up! Well, everyone is asleep...and I don't think Sesshoumaru will be back until a couple of minutes. What the hell, I'll go down there for two seconds, and come right back up again. No one will know I was here._   
She jumped down from the branch and landed lightly on the ground without making a sound. _Boy, am I happy I'm half cat demon. I could have been something like, half elephant!_  
She took a quick look around to make sure no one was watching, and then sat down in front of the fire.  
_Ahhhhhhhh. warmth. This is much better._  
She was so intent on warming herself up, that she didn't notice a little pair of eyes watching her.  
"Excuse me!"  
The girl jumped a foot in the air. She looked to see who had said that.  
_It's that little girl! The one I rescued from that demon the other day!_  
"I didn't mean to scare you." ,said Rin. "I was just wondering what you're doing in front of our camp fire"  
She looked at the stranger expectantly. The stranger responded,"I was just warming myself. I don't mean you any harm. What is your name?"  
"I'm Rin. What is _your_ name?"  
The stranger hesitated.  
"I'm...Katara. Please don't tell anyone you spoke with me. Not even your "Lord Sesshoumaru". I'm not sure how they would react to me."  
"Well, Lord Sesshoumaru has a half-demon brother, but he doesn't like him very much. And I wouldn't want anything bad to happen. Alright, I won't tell anyone."  
Katara nodded and lept up into a tree and out of sight. Rin watched her go, and then laid back down. She drifted off to sleep. 

Sesshoumaru was hiding behind a tree near the fire, and had witnessed the whole conversation between the strange half-demon girl, and Rin. He had come back just in time to see the girl jump down from a tree and sit down in front of the fire. He had been about to confront her, when he realized that Rin had awoken, and had begun to speak with the girl. Sesshoumaru had listened, and had found out that the girl's name was Katara. _Katara_,he mused. Ironic. A half-demon cat named _Kat_-ara.  
_She was the one that rescued Rin. Chances are that's she's the one who's been following us around all day. I wonder where she's from, and how she got her. She doesn't look like she's from this time._ He had found out eventually that Kagome was from another time, and this girl looked to be from around Kagome's time. Sesshoumaru walked over to the tree he had seen Katara disappear into, and sat down at it's base. After a few minutes, he looked up into the tree. He wasn't sure, but he could've sworn that he saw a pair of bright yellow eyes look back down at him. He blinked, and they were gone. He frowned slightly to himself.  
_Katara...nice to meet you, I suppose_


	3. Chapter 3

A few rays of sunlight streaming through the trees awoke Katara. She yawned and stretched her arms and legs doing her best not to topple off the branch where she had spent the night. She looked down and saw that Sesshoumaru, Rin, and that ugly little imp demon were gone.  
_Damn it!_ she thought to herself.  
_I should have been more careful! It might take me hours to figure out where they are._  
She stood up on the branch, and began leaping from tree to tree, heading east where she had heard Sesshoumaru say they were headed the day before. As she was jumping and twirling from branch to branch she began to feel more carefree. When she was leaping and flying through the trees, she felt absolutely at peace. It was just the forest the wind, and her. She loved the way the air rushed past her as she flew from branch to branch; How her long flowing hair flew every where.  
_I was born to do this._ She thought to herself.  
_I was born to fly._  
Something jolted her out of her thoughts. Voices. She stopped on a branch and looked down. There, she saw five people and a strange tiger-like demon. They were all fighting an octopus-looking demon.  
_Wait a minute. This is the same demon I fought two days ago! At least, it's the same type. I thought no two demons were alike. I guess I was wrong._  
She sat down on the branch to watch the five people. There were two women, two men, and a little kid with a tail. One of the women had a strange out-fit on, and had a boomerang just like Katara's, except the woman's was as big as her! One of the guys, the one that looked to be about 20 was dressed in a blue robe.  
_He might be a monk, or a priest._ thought Katara.  
He was holding a golden staff, but strangest of all was a gust of wind blowing around the demon. It seemed to be coming from the man's hand! Katara focused on the little boy. He couldn't do much, except hurl fire at the demon. Still, he was giving it all he had.  
"WIND SCAR!"  
Katara's attention snapped to the person who had said that. Her mouth dropped open in amazement. He held a giant sword which he could handle as easily as if it were made of wood! And he was a half-demon just like her! A thought struck Katara. She remembered Rin saying something about Sesshoumaru having a brother that was half-demon.  
_Could it be?_ she wondered.   
She saw that the group was getting their butt's kicked, so she decided to lend a hand. _After all, if I'm stuck here, I might as well help out._  
She jumped out of the tree. 

Unfortunately for Inuyasha, Katara landed right on top of him.  
"WHO THE HELL ARE YOU!", he demanded.  
Katara saw that she had landed on top of the half-demon. She apologized, and told him who she was.  
"My name is Katara. That's all I can say for now, but it looks like you could use a hand with Slimy over there."  
Inuyasha gaped at her for a few seconds. She was a half-demon just like him, but she dressed much stranger!  
_Could she be from Kagome's time?_ he wondered. He quickly regained his composure.  
"Feh. Everything's under control." Katara looked at the demon and saw that it had a hold of the girls, the monk, and the little boy. They seemed to be unconscious and she could see the slimy thing was sucking the energy out of them through his tentacles.  
"Oh, yeah! Everyhting's under control, is it?" she remarked.  
"Well, whatever. The sooner we finish it off, the sooner it lets go of everyone." Inuyasha finally said.  
_Alright. If Firaga worked one time, I'm sure it'll work again._ she thought to herself.  
Inuyasha aimed his windscar at the demon again, but it just absorbed the attack.  
"Damn it! This thing absorbs every attack I throw-ehhh!"  
The demon stretched out a slimy tentacle and grabbed Inuyasha by the waist. Katara could see Inuyasha's energy drain right out of him and into the demon.  
_If I don't hurry_ she thought,_They'll be dead soon!_  
She brought out her Kitsuira Blade. It was shaped just like a boomerang, so it flew easier.  
"KITSUIRA FIRAGA BLADE!"  
The boomerang flew through the air aimed right at the demon. It burst into flames right before it reached it, and penetrated its sliminess easily. The demon shrieked, and shattered just as the Kitsuira Blade returned to Katara's hand. She leaped from person to person, catching them before they hit the ground. She had tremendous strength and was incredibly fast, so nobody got hurt. They all started coming to as she set them on the grass. When the boy with the sword woke up, he spotted a jewel shard floating in the air where the demon had been. He jumped to catch it, but someone was quicker.  
"Hey! What's the deal?", he protested as he landed on the grass face first.   
In front of him, was Katara tucking the shard in her leather bag.   
She looked at him, and then said,"Well, I killed the demon, so It's only fair that I get the shard."  
Inuyasha's face got red, and a sharp-nailed hand gripped the Tetsussaiga.  
"FAIR MY ASS YOU-!" Kagome interrupted him.  
"Umm, What he means is that we're collecting shards too, and we weren't expecting anyone else to get that shard."  
Katara grinned, showing her incredibly long and sharp canine teeth.  
"Well, I'm sorry, but I need these shards. I think it's time you learned to share...Inuyasha, is it?" she asked.  
Inuyasha stood in front of Kagome, facing Katara.  
"Listen you, I've been working hard at collecting these shards, and no way am I letting a wench like you get in the way of my becoming a full demon!"  
He drew his sword, and aimed at Katara. Katara's eyes flashed. Suddenly, Inuyasha found himself sitting hard on the grass, his Tetsusaiga in Katara's hand. Katara smiled, and handed him back his sword.  
"You should be careful when you pick fights with strangers. I'm keeping the shard, so maybe I'll be seeing you around." Kagome was staring at Katara. Sango, Miroku, and Shippou joined her. Miroku was quick to introduce himself.  
"Hello! My name is Miroku." Katara looked at him. "Ah yes! You're the one with the wind coming out of his hand! Hmm. That was a nice performance back there."   
Before he could say anything, Miroku found himself face down on the grass with Katara standing over him. He spit out a mouthful of dirt and looked at her.  
"What did you do that for!"   
Katara glared at him. "You were going to grope me, weren't you?" Miroku blushed such a deep red, that everyone noticed.  
"I like this girl! She has fast reflexes! Miroku didn't even touch her!", whispered Sango to Kagome.  
Kagome giggled. Inuyasha looked impatient. "Alright, well. If you're going to be hurling us into the dirt, we should at least know more about you, don't you think?"  
Katara looked at him hard. "Only if you'll tell me this. Are you the half-demon brother of Sesshoumaru?"   
Inuyasha looked angry. "Yeah I am! Who's askin'!"   
Katara started to back away. "All I needed to know. Thanks!", she responded as she leaped up a tree and disappeared.   
She could hear Inuyasha yelling, "COME BACK HERE, WE'RE NOT FINISHED!" She started to head east, leaping from tree to tree. She smiled to herself.  
_Living in this era is going to be a blast_


	4. Chapter 4

just-a-little-crazy: Hi! My Muse San wanted to get mentioned in one of my stories.

San: Hi! Well now that I'm being mentioned I want to say that I'm inviting people over.

just-a-little-crazy: Without MY permission?

San: Can I have some people over?

just-a-little-crazy:Yes

San: Yay! Come in!

just-a-little-crazy: Ok?

Sasuke, Neji and Shikamaru from Naruto walk through the door.

just-a-little-crazy. o.O... OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG!

San: Please ignore her she has to get over the shock.

""""""""""""""1 Hour later"""""""""""""""""""

just-a-little-crazy: OMG! Is that really Neji!

San: sigh yes

just-a-little-crazy: Glomps Neji Can you do the disclaimer?

Neji: Yes. just-a-little-crazy does NOT own Inuyasha, Naruto or any of the mangas mentioned. If she did she would be filthy rich now, and living with me.

just-a-little-crazy: Yay!

888888888

Sesshoumaru, Rin, and Jaken were walking through the forest, when Sesshoumaru smelled the scent.  
_She's here. She followed._  
He tried his hardest not to look behind him, but kept on walking.  
_Stupid hanyou. She's her death warrant if she crosses me._ he thought.  
_But why is she following us?_  
Suddenly Rin screamed. Sesshoumaru looked up just in time to see a long slimy tentacle reach out and snatch her off Ah-Un. Sesshoumaru unsheathed Tokijin and lunged at the tentacle. Another tentacle reached out and knocked Tokijin away and grabbed Sesshoumaru, pinning his arms to his side. Sesshoumaru looked to where Rin was, and could see that she was unconscious.  
_What is this thing? It's just like the demon that Katara killed. But it's slowly robbing me of my energy._  
He weakly looked to see where Jaken was, and found him in one of the creature's tentacles. Jaken struggled for a few seconds before he blacked out as well. Sesshoumaru was alarmed.  
_I can't reach Tokijin...no, there must be some other way!_  
But his arms were pinned to his sides, and he had barely enough energy left to become his full dog form.  
He felt himself falling deeper and deeper into a black void, which he struggled to get out of.   
_Rin..._he thought.  
_What's going to happen to her?_   
Suddenly, he saw a fiery boomerang fly out of the trees and head straight for the demon, cutting it neatly in half. He saw Rin and Jaken fall to the ground, and felt himself falling as well. He hit the ground with a soft thump, and saw a girl standing over him, just as he blacked out. (Yes, he did. Don't bite my head off just cuz the Great Lord Sesshoumaru fainted. The stupid demon sucked out most of his energy! Gimme a break. He would have defeated it eventually. Katara just sped up the process.)

Sesshoumaru awoke. His vision was blurry for a few seconds, and when it cleared he saw Katara gently putting Rin down on the grass a few feet away from him. Jaken was laying a little ways off, still unconscious.  
_What...what happened?_ he thought to himself.  
_Did she save me?_ He tried to stand up, but his knees gave out. Katara was there in a flash to catch him. She gently laid him down on the grass.  
"No, don't get up. You're still too weak from the demon."  
Sesshoumaru struggled to speak.  
"But...Rin.."  
"They're safe. They're still unconscious, but very much alive...as are you."   
Sesshoumaru looked up at Katara, on her knees still holding his head.  
"You've been...ugh...following us.."  
"Yes, I've been observing you for the past few days. Good thing I was, or you might not have survived."  
Sesshoumaru looked away. "You didn't need to interfer. I could have handled that demon. A hanyou like you had no buisness interfering."  
He looked back up at her, his eyes cold. And for the first time, someone returned that coldness. Katara's eyes blazed. (Is that an oxymoron? can eyes be cold, and blaze at the same time?)  
"Oh, Mr. High and Mighty? From what I saw, you were about to lose the battle. If I hadn't been here to save your butt, Rin would be dead! You would have let Rin die, if only to save your pride! I should have known you would be just like your brother!"  
She put Sesshoumaru's head down and got up. Sesshoumaru got up as well, his energy completely restored. His eyes were blazing with pure hatred. How dare this wench compare him to that mutt! Still, he made an extra effort to keep his voice even.  
"How dare you talk to me like that. I'm Lord of the Western Lands. I'm the most powerful demon around. You shall address my by my proper title, and you will not compare me to my brother ever again!"  
His hand lashed out to strike Katara. She caught his hand before it hit her. Her strenght clearly surprised him.   
"You...are such a work of art! I save you, and what do you do? You try and attack me."  
She let go of Sesshoumaru's arm.   
"You need to seriously take a good look at yourself. Just because I'm a half-demon, doesn't mean I'm any weaker than you! I'm stronger than your brother, and chances are I'm stronger than you!"   
These last words startled Sesshoumaru.  
_She's tried her strength against Inuyasha? How strange that she didn't go with his little group, seeing as he's a half demon as well. But, she beat him in a fight?_  
Katara took a step away from Sesshoumaru.  
"I might be a _hanyou_, but I'm a stong one. Don't you _dare_ touch me, or I assure you, _Lord Sesshoumaru_, you _will_ be sorry." she spit out.  
With that, she leaped up into a tree, and disappeared from Sesshoumaru's view. Sesshoumaru looked at Rin.  
_Well, she has guts. I must admit, anyone who can match my strength **and** talk to me like that has to be worth knowing more about. And next time we meet will be the last time she crosses me._

Katara sat on a branch, looking down at Sesshoumaru.  
_I can't believe him!_ she thought fiercely.  
_He's an inconsiderate jerk! I save him, and his precious human, along with that frog thing, and what do I get? Reproached._  
She thought of how gently he had picked up Rin that time she first saved her from that slimy demon.   
_But...anybody who loves a human like that can't be all bad. He won't admit to that though. He just doesn't know me. And besides, I confronted problems like those back home. Guys don't like girls to save them. It makes them look weak. Lord of the Western Lands. I'll bet his royal subjects are plotting against a moron like him!_   
She looked down again, and found that everyone was gone.  
_Oh great! He did it again. If he thinks he can get away from me that easily, he's got another think coming._  
She stood on the branch, and began to leap from branch to branch, heading east. She stopped suddenly.  
_Wait, what am I doing following a jerk like him? If he wants to go out and get himself killed he can be my guest! But, Rin..._  
She stood on the branch uncertainly. All of a sudden she began leaping again.  
_I'm doing this for Rin! Not Sesshoumaru. Rin deserves safety. I wish I knew how Sesshoumaru came to meet Rin though._

_That wench. Calling me a jerk! A hanyou claiming to match my power! And a girl at that! We'll see about that when the time comes._   
Sesshoumaru was walking through the forest. Rin and Jaken were on Ah-Un's back, who was walking behind Sesshoumaru. He expected that Katara would be following behind. He sighed.  
_But still, she's quite brave to speak to me like that. Or that might just be foolishnes. She doesn't know what power I have. Yet she wasn't afraid to challenge it. If she wasn't a half-demon she would be quite interesting to get to know better._  
He sighed again, and glanced back at Rin's sleeping form. Suddenly he caught himself. _What the hell am I thinking! Katara's an enemy. An obstacle. One that I'm going to have to go through if I'm going to get to Naraku. I do **not** need to be thinking about stuff like that. Shit, I feel like I'm stuck in my adolescence again._


	5. Chapter 5

Kagome, get up! We need to keep moving if we're going to catch Naraku!"  
She got up and stretched a bit.  
Inuyasha looked impatient.  
"Must you do that? You look like a damn cat!"  
A voice came out of nowhere.  
"Typical of a dog-demon to insult cats. But, I don't suppose you would have met any. They'd be smart enough to steer clear of a mutt like you."  
Inuyasha drew his Tetsuisaiga. He looked around, bristling at the insult.  
"Show yourself! You won't get away with that comment!"  
Katara jumped down from a nearby tree.  
"Oh, I think I already did." she said with a smile.  
"Hello Inuyasha. Miss me?"  
Inuyasha sneered at Katara.  
"Hardly. What, are you back to throw some more people into the dirt?"  
Katara walked over to him and Kagome.  
"Hardly. That is..unless you give me a reason to make you eat dirt."  
"What's going on? I know that voice..."  
Miroku and Sango were up and had walked over to Inuyasha and Kagome. Kirara was in Sango's arms.  
Miroku flinched when he saw Katara. Katara seeing this, shot him a mischivious grin.   
"Hello Miroku. I see you still remember our last encounter." Miroku winced and said,  
"How could I forget? I still have the bruises."  
Katara laughed. Inuyasha sheathed Tetsuisaiga. _Nice smile for a hanyou._ he thought. He realized what he had just thought.  
"What the hell? This is the girl that's been giving me a hard time! I can't go around thinking "She's got a nice smile"! Besides, Kagome...  
_Wait, what do I care? It's not like I..._  
He shook himself from his thoughts, and returned to the present. Katara was in conversation with Sango and Kagome. Shippou was in her arms, and she was absentmindidly running her hand through his fur. Shippou was clearly enjoying this. Inuyasha looked around to see where Miroku was. He suddenly spotted him sneaking up behind Katara, and about to grab her butt. Sango and Kagome saw him, but decided against saying anything, lest they miss whatever fun Katara was about to give to Miroku. Miroku was very close, and was about to touch Katara, when her tail came out of nowhere and swept Miroku off his feet. He landed face down and grabbed a mouthful of grass. Katara turned around and with the straightest face she could muster, she said  
"Oh, hey Miroku! Did you have a nice trip?"  
Kagome and Sango burst out laughing as Katara pulled Miroku up and brushed him off. Suddenly, Katara threw herself at Miroku and knocked him to the ground. She began tickling him incesantly causing Miroku to squirm and laugh, begging her to stop. Kagome and Sango were laughing even harder now, and even Inuyasha had to laugh at the spectacle Miroku and Katara were making. Finally Katara stopped tickling Miroku long enough to give him a chance to breathe. She stuck her hands at either side of Miroku, keeping him from getting up.  
"Give up your lecherous ways, ya pervert?" she asked, looking down at Miroku.  
Miroku nodded.  
"I suppose, for you I'll make that sacrifice." he said with a wicked grin.  
Katara got up and reached out a hand to help him up. He took it, and then pulled her down on the ground beside him. Katara was too surprised to say anything. She looked at Miroku laying beside her.  
"Oh, alright! You got me!"   
She let a laugh as clear as bells ring out. She got up and pulled Miroku up with her. She gave him a little shove, and sent him flying toward Inuyasha.  
"Well, It's been really fun, but I gotta get going if I'm going to catch Sesshoumaru!" Inuyasha looked at her suspiciously.  
"What do you want with Sesshoumaru?" Katara shrugged.  
"We have a score to settle."  
She leaped up into a tree, leaving a surprised Inuyasha looking up after her.  
_What could she possibly have to talk to Sesshoumaru for? She's a hanyou, and he hates hanyous. And apparently, they've met before. I wonder how everything will turn out?_  
Sango grabbed Miroku's ear, and began walking dragging him with her.  
"Alright, loverboy! Time to go! You've had your fun." Miroku tried to sqirm out of her grasp.  
"Ouch! Okay I'm-ouch-walking! Let me-ouch-go!" Sango let him go laughing, as everyone began walking. 

Katara looked down from the trees at the group. She had had a lot of fun goofing around with Miroku. God, he resembled Minoru so, so much. His raven-black hair, and even his features. She missed her best friend, which she had left behind when she had come through the well. She wondered how he was doing now?  
_Oh well, let the hunt begin!_ she thought, as she began to search for Sesshoumaru.


	6. Chapter 6

Katara sat down on the branch of a cherry blossom tree. She was exhausted from pursuing Sesshoumaru all day. All she'd had time for was to catch a few fish for her lunch. As she sat there, watching the pink cherry blossoms drift slowly to the ground, she began to think.  
_I've been traveling all day, and I still haven't found him! He must be really keen on making sure I don't catch up to him. Oh, I'm so tired. Maybe it's time I use the gift my dad left me when he died._   
Katara took off the necklace she had around her neck. On it were red beads alternating with white demon fangs. From it, was hanging a small blood-red jewel that was sparkling, though no light was hitting it. Katara wrapped her hands around the little jewel and closed her eyes, focusing all of her thoughts on it. Suddenly, a light red glow enveloped Katara, covering every inch of her. A bright red light burst in Katara's head. Inside of it, she saw a gloomy black palace, complete with towers. The view then moved inside the palace. Katara gasped. The halls were made of pure sparkling marble. Katara opened her eyes, and the vision ended. She felt all of her energy back, but she wondered at the vision she had just seen.  
_What could it mean? It was a palace...scary on the outside, but beautiful inside. Where was it? Who's was it?_  
Katara was thinking so hard, she didn't notice a slimy green tentacle sneak up behind her. It paused for a few seconds, and then grabbed her, pinning her arms to her side.  
"What the fuck! You again! Didn't I kill you twice already!"  
The creature just drew in the tentacle and Katara got a closer view of what the demon was like. It had one single, bright green, humongous eye in the middle of it's head. If you could call it a head. It seemed like it's whole body was one unit, and it was covered in a thick green transparent slime.  
_Oh gross!_ thought Katara. And then something else occured to her.  
_What am I going to do? I can't move my arms, this THING is sapping my energy, and I'm alone. I think I'm about to die._  
Strangely enough, this last thought didn't bother her as much as she thought it would. She was, after all, all alone in the world. Nobody would mourn her, or even wonder where she was. She hung her head in resignation.   
_I'm going to die, and there's nothing I can do about it._   
She looked up just in time to see a silver blade slice the demon in half. The tentacle that was holding her desintegrated. Katara fell to the gound with a thump. She looked around to see who had saved her, and was startled to see Sesshoumaru standing at the spot where the demon had been. He sheathed Tokijin and walked over to her. Katara got up so that she was eye-level with him. She tried to read his expression, but his face was as smooth as glass.  
_As always._ she thought.  
(NOTE THAT THE KEY TO KILLING THESE THINGS IS TO CATCH THEM BY SURPRISE. IF THEY CATCH _You_ BY SURPRISE, YOU'RE PRETTY MUCH SCREWED.)  
After a few moments, Sesshoumaru spoke.  
"We're even. You saved Rin twice. The debt is repayed." He started to walk away, but Katara stopped him.  
"Wait!" Sesshoumaru turned around to face her. Katara kept going.  
"Why did you save me? You know you could've lived with yourself if you had let me die." Katara sank to her knees.  
"Besides, nobody cares. I have no home, no family. I don't belong anywhere. What do you care if I live or die?" Sesshoumaru looked at the girl, her head bowed down staring at the ground.  
"You have no home?" Katara lifted her head to look at him. Sesshoumaru faltered.  
_What the hell? She has crimson eyes!_  
He regained his composure. Katara was still looking up at him, pale red eyes full of puzzlement.  
"Rin has grown attached to you, for reasons I cannot fathom. She's not sure why she likes you so much either. She would have been very unhappy to find you dead."  
He stretched out his hand.  
"Why don't you return with me? Rin can always use someone to look after her."  
(Think it might be the Tenseiga at work?)  
He stopped talking for a second, looking startled.  
_What? Did I just say that! Okay, something very weird is going on, but I can't go back on my word. I guess she's coming back with me._  
Katara looked at Sesshoumaru's hand like he had 30 fingers. After all, the last time they had met, he'd acted like a jackass. Now here he was, inviting her to go back with him to Rin. She thought for a few moments, and then took his hand. Sesshoumaru lifted her up. Katara smiled at him.  
"I know this must be hard for you, me being a hanyou and all, but thank you."  
Sesshoumaru almost, but not quite, smiled back.  
"I'm doing it for Rin. She needs someone close to her species to look after her. Her family died a while ago, so she has nobody left. I think you two should get along well."   
Suddenly they both noticed that Sesshoumaru still had Katara's hand. He dropped it like it was on fire.  
"Ahem. Let's get going then." he said to Katara. Katara followed him, all the while thinking  
_What am I getting myself into? How do I know he's not going to attack me? And where did this offer come from? He hated me, just because I was a half-demon! This is getting too weird for me._  
They arrived back to where Rin was sitting with Jaken. Ah-Un was sleeping nearby. When Rin saw who Sesshoumaru had brought back, she was delighted. She ran up to Katara and hugged her around her waist. Looking up to her, she said,  
"Katara! Are you coming to stay with us?" Katara glanced at Sesshoumaru, but he was looking elsewhere.  
"Only for a while Rin." she responded, patting Rin's head lightly.  
Rin let Katara go, and ran over to where some butterflies were and started chasing them. Katara stood in the same spot, not certain of what to do. The sun had almost set, so she thought maybe she should catch some rest. Sesshoumaru had begun to set up his cot and Rin and Jaken were already sleeping.   
"Well," she said to no one in particular, "Good night."  
She leaped up into a tree and began to accomodate herself on one of the branches. Everything was silent, and Katara thought everyone was already asleep. She curled up on the branch, and had almost drifted off to sleep when she heard Sesshoumaru's soft, but clear voice say,  
"Good Night."


	7. Chapter 7

A few stray rays of sunshine awoke Katara. She stretched her arms up above her head while letting go of a tremendous yawn. She looked down, and found Rin looking up at her with interest.  
_So it wasn't a dream. I really am with Rin and Sesshoumaru. But I still don't get it. Why did he save me?_  
"Katara! Aren't you going to come down for breakfast?"  
Katara looked down at that little face, so full of hope. She laughed and nodded.  
"Absolutely! I'm starving, Rin! What's on the menu?"  
She jumped down from the branch and landed right beside Rin. Rin took her hand and led her to the campfire where some birds and mushrooms were roasting. To Katara, who hadn't had anything but fish to eat for the past few days, it smelled divine. Rin speared one of the roasted fowl on a stick and handed it to Katara.  
"Lord Sesshoumaru caught them this morning before he left."  
Katara took a bite of the bird, swallowed, and looked puzzled at Rin. "You mean he's not here? Where did he go?"  
Rin just shrugged, but Jaken who had walked over to them responded, "Never you mind. Lord Sesshoumaru goes where he pleases."  
After they had all eaten and cleaned up, Katara asked Jaken to watch over Rin, and to call if anything went wrong. She walked off, leaving Jaken mumbling something about always being left behind, even by hanyous. Katara laughed to herself, and walked off into the woods. She had found out from Rin that there was a hot spring nearby, and that was where she intended to go. Katara was sore from her encounter with the demon the previous day, and hadn't had a good bath in a week. She broke through some bushes, and saw she had arrived at the spring. She also saw that someone else had had her idea. Sesshoumaru was basking in the spring, the water reaching up to his chest. He was leaning against a rock, and had his eyes closed. Katara stopped walking. Sesshoumaru hadn't noticed that there was anyone around.  
_Oh wow. He looks really...well...hot! I never noticed before, but he's pretty cute. All he needs is a personality transplant, and he'd be perfect. Should I still go in? I wouldn't want to disturb him. He looks so...peaceful. On top of that, I wouldn't want him to see me naked!_  
She looked at the figure in the water for a moment. He stirred slightly, but didn't open his eyes.  
_Aw, what the hell! I ain't waiting all day until he decides to get out of there. I'm too sore for that._  
She came out of the bushes and walked over to the water, opposite from where Sesshoumaru was. Suddenly he opened his eyes, and saw Katara standing on the other side of the spring, taking her shoes off. That startled him.  
"Katara! what are you doing here?" Katara glanced up at him.  
"Cool your jets! I wasn't going to wait for you to take all day here, so I'm just going to soak my feet for a while before I go in."  
She finished removing her socks, sat down at the edge of the spring, and placed her feet in the hot steamy water. She couldn't help but sigh at the relief on her feet. That sigh had a very curious effect on Sesshoumaru. He felt a small thrill go up and down his spine.  
_What was that?_ he thought.  
But he dismissed it as nothing. Closing his eyes he rested his head against the rock. He tried to clear his head, to forget about the half-demon sitting across from him. This lasted, oh, about two minutes. He opened his eyes slightly. He saw Katara, her eyes closed, head back, her hair moving slightly with the wind flowing through it. Her arms were behind her, supporting her body, and her breathing was deep, as if she wanted to take in all of nature around her at once. Sesshoumaru could see her chest heaving up and down. His pulse quickened.  
_What is this? There is no way she could be doing this to me. Not her. Not a-a hanyou._  
Katara sat up and Sesshoumaru quickly closed his eyes. Katara glanced at Sesshoumaru.   
"Allright, I'm going in. And don't even think about looking while I'm out here!"  
Sesshoumaru forced his voice to not give away any emotion.  
"Huh. Don't flatter yourself."   
Katara just shook her head.  
"Whatever." , she said as she began removing her clothing.  
She folded all her clothes neatly in a pile by the edge of the water, and then slid into the spring, a soft moan escaping her lips. Sesshoumaru felt it again. That tingle that went all the way down through his spine. He opened his eyes. Katara had her back to him, but he could see she was washing her hair. Before, her hair had been a dark dirty brown. The water washed away all of the dirt and grime, and he could see that her hair was a glossy pale blue.(How that happens, don't ask me. I've never seen hair get so dirty.) Katara turned around to face Sesshoumaru, and began to run her fingers through her hair, combing out any tangles that might have occured. She had such a look of pure delight on her face, that Sesshoumaru was half-expecting her to let out a soft purr, her being the half-cat demon that she was. When she was done, she moved her hair so that it was all behind her, and began to wash her ears. Katara looked up, and saw tthat Sesshoumaru was looking at her rather strangely.  
"What, a girl can't wash her ears in peace?"  
Sesshoumaru's face went back to it's usual seriousness, but Katara could see that his eyes were sparkling.   
"I don't suppose you know that you look like a cat when you do that, do you."  
Katara smiled at him. "Gee, no. Nobody _ever_ told me that cat demons look like cats." she teased. "My friends always used to tell me that. Well, _friend_. I never had that many friends."  
Sesshoumaru looked puzzled.   
"Why?" he wondered.  
She seemed like the kind of person that humans would like to be around. Katara's smile flickered. She looked sad for a moment, as if a memory pained her.   
"Sesshoumaru, close your eyes. I'm getting out." Sesshoumaru noticed that she never reffered to him by his proper title. Yet that didn't bother him that much. He had no idea why that was, either.  
"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to. I'm sorry if I pryed. I'm just curious."  
Katara smiled at him.  
"No don't apologize, as unusual it seems for you to do so. I'll tell you, but I want to put my clothes on first."   
Sesshoumaru turned, and Katara put on her red tank top and long jeans.  
When she was done, "Alright. Are you getting out or what?" she asked Sesshoumaru.  
He nodded and began to get out. Katara quickly turned around. Sesshoumaru got dressed, all the while looking at her.  
_She's got a nice figure. The men from where she's from should have been flocking around her. Why does she claim that she's alone?_  
He finished dressing and Katara turned around.  
"All done? Let's go sit under a tree. It helps me relax more."  
Katara began walking and Sesshoumaru followed. They ended up at a cherry blossom tree, Katara's favorite. She sat down at the base of the trunk and looked up at Sesshoumaru expectantly.  
"Now, you can't tell me that it's degrading for 'The Lord of the Western Lands' to sit under a tree. Besides, I've seen you do it before."  
Sesshoumaru looked flustered.  
"No, it's not that. It's just that, well, I've never just sat and talked. Especially not with a hanyou." Katara looked up at him, laughter in her eyes.  
"I should have expected it. You're too meticulous. You'd soil your clothes."  
Sesshoumaru saw that she was teasing him, and went and sat down beside her, leaning up against the trunk. Katara looked at him approvingly.  
"See? Now was that so bad?", she said, laughing. Sesshoumaru grimaced. "Alright. I'm sitting. Now tell me about you."

Katara's face got serious.  
"My mother was a demon. A cat demon, to be exact. She traveled to my world by means of a well. She met my father, a human, and fell in love with him instantly. He brought her to his bed, and they had me. As you so lovingly keep refering to, I'm a hanyou. Not human, not demon, but a little bit of both. Not belonging anywhere."  
Sesshoumaru nodded, encouraging her.  
"Go on."  
Katara took a deep breath and went on.   
"Demon's aren't common in my world. People fear them, because they don't know them. My mother left us when I was about six years old. I can't remember what she looks like. I only remember her holding me, and me feeling safe and warm in her arms."  
Katara wrapped her arms about herself, as if suddenly cold. She looked down, blinking back tears.  
"My father was heart broken. He never recovered from the loss. He died two years ago."  
Sesshoumaru looked at her. He felt strangely sad at the story this girl was telling. But then, he could relate to her.  
"Katara, I'm sorry." Katara smiled through her tears.  
"It's okay. I've gotten used to him not being there. But anyway, I never had any other family. My father was an only child. He told me of a sister once, but he never told me where to find her. So I was alone. I stopped going to school (just pretend he knows what that is. I don't feel like explaining it.), because the kids laughed at me. The boys all tried to get me into their beds, just so they could say they'd done a hanyou."  
Katara clenched and unclenched her fists.   
_Well, that explains why she claims she's alone. Even the men from her world were cruel. But how did she come here?_ thought Sesshoumaru.  
Katara was really fighting back her tears now, but Sesshoumaru could see one or two dripping down her cheek. Katara wiped them away. She went on.  
"A few months ago, I traveled to Japan. I wore a head band that covered up my ears, and a kimono that covered my tail, so the people accepted me. I came across a shrine and entered it. In a shed behind the shrine, I found a well. I was leaning over it to see how deep it might be, when suddenly something pulled me in. A few minutes later, I awoke on the ground in the middle of the forest, and have just been traveling around. That is, until you came along."  
Sesshoumaru didn't know what to say. And he thought he'd had problems, what with his mother killing herself.  
"Katara, I-" Katara interrupted him.  
"Don't go feeling sorry for me. I've been through a lot, but I've survived. But now, it's your turn."  
Sesshoumaru looked puzzled. What was she getting at? Katara went on.  
"I've told you my story. You don't need to tell me yours, but at least answer me this. Why do you hate my kind? You treat hanyous, and even humans, except for Rin of course, like dirt. Why?"  
She looked at Sesshoumaru, a patient look on her face. Sesshoumaru looked down. After a few moments, he began.  
"My mother and father were demons. That's why I'm a pure demon, too. But my brother, Inuyasha, is only half-demon. That is because my father fell in love with a human woman, and he brought her into his bed. My mother was hurt. She went insane wondering what a human could possibly have that was better than her. She ended up commiting suicide. My father died years ago. But he left me a gift. He gave me Tenseiga, the sword that heals. My brother got Tetsuisaiga, the most powerful sword my father had."   
Katara was silent for a moment. Her hand drifted upwards, as if wanting to touch Sesshoumaru, to reasure him. She didn't know what to say.  
_Is that why he hates anything human? Because it reminds him of his mother's death?_  
She brought her hand back down.   
"Sesshoumaru, I-I-"  
Sesshoumaru looked at her, and Katara saw a spark of something different in his eyes appart from the usual coldness.  
_Is that...kindness?_  
She wondered. Katara looked away from him, suddenly shy. Sesshoumaru stood up.  
"I think we've done enough talking for today. We need to get back to Rin and Jaken, or they'll start wondering wether something happened to us."  
He held out his hand, and Katara didn't hesitate before she took it. He pulled her up and began walking through the forest, heading towards where the others were. Katara brushed a stray cherry blossom from her hair, and began walking after him. Suddenly, she tripped on a stone hidden by some leaves, and Katara saw the ground come up to meet her. She had a split second to think,  
_Boy, I should really remember to watch where I step._  
Just as she was about to hit the ground, Sesshoumaru caught her in his arms. He straightened her up, and set her gently on the ground. Katara looked up at him.  
"Thanks.", she said.  
She wanted to say more, but didnt know exactly what to say. On an impulse, Sesshoumaru smoothed back a strand of hair that was in Katara's face. His hand moved lightly down her neck all the way down to her collar bone. His light touch sent a ripple of excitment all throughout Katara's body.   
_Why is he doing this? It's all so confusing. No, he'd never. He'd never even think of me as a friend. Not a hanyou._, she thought bitterly.  
Sesshoumaru looked puzzled. A minute ago, he had smelled a scent of happiness coming from the girl. He had expected that. But now, it was replaced by something else.  
_Is that...confusement?_  
He withdrew his hand, wondering what could be making Katara give off a smell like that. And what had possesed him to touch her? Katara began walking, keeping a sharp lookout for any other stones in her path.  
"We should get going. It's getting dark, and Rin will be wondering where we are."   
Sesshoumaru stayed behind, pondering over this strange girl that seemed to make him want to do strange things. Katara didn't wonder what kept him back. She was deep in her own thoughts.  
_What's wrong with me? I'm falling for a guy that's a demon, who hates humans! He'll never love me. and all because I was born a fuckin' hanyou!_  
Sesshoumaru was startled. _That smell...I'm sure of it! It's the smell of loathing! But it's mixed with something else. Hurt and sadness. But why?_  
He saw that darkness was enveloping the forest, and looked ahead to see where Katara was. She was nowhere in sight, and he hastened his step, worried that something might have happened to her. When he got back to the clearing where they had stopped, he found Jaken asleep, and a campfire roaring. He looked around and saw Katara, fast asleep. In her arms, was Rin, Katara's tail covering her, keeping her warm. Sesshoumaru walked over to them, and bent down on his knees. He lightly stroked Katara's cheek, taking in her light scent of vanilla and cherry blossoms. Katara stirred, but didn't wake up.  
_All humans are filth. Or so I thought. Rin and Katara seem to be proving me wrong. How is it that this hanyou, this girl, is making me feel all these things I swore I'd never feel again after mother died?_   
"Katara, why do you irk me so?", he whispered.  
He withdrew his hand, hesitating for a moment. He stood up, and began to prepare his own bed.


	8. Chapter 8

_He was running with all of his youkai speed. Running through the forest. Something was after him; after Rin! He had to protect her. So he ran. An inky black tentacle shot out from the darkness behind him, grabbing him, pulling him in. Sesshoumaru struggled, but he felt himself falling into the black void, the tentacle still wrapped around him. Suddenly, a hand grabbed him, pulling him back toward the light. He tried to see who it was, but a bright red glow kept his rescuer obscured from Sesshoumaru's sight. Suddenly, Sesshoumaru caught a whif of a scent that smelled familiar: Cherry blossoms and Vanilla._  
-

Sesshoumaru awoke with a start. He looked around, and found the other's still asleep. Sesshoumaru ran a hand through his silvery mane. He remembered having a dream somewhat like this one, but he didn't remember anyone rescuing him from the dark.(Alright. So he can dream like every other person. Don't hold it against me that I want to make him seem a bit more normal.)  
_What does it mean? _he wondered.  
_And what was that scent of Cherry blossoms and vanilla? It smelled strangely familiar. Wait, that's Katara's distinct scent._  
He sighed. Why was all this happening to him? These dreams? And now, these feelings? He felt things when he was around Katara that he had promised himself he'd never feel again. After his mother died, he swore that he'd never love again. The pain was too great. But now, this hanyou had come along, and everything had become confusing. Oh sure, he knew Rin had softened him quite a bit since he'd first met the eager little girl, but this was different. And he wasn't sure he liked it. He felt Katara stirring, and heard her get up. He didn't move a muscle, though. He was curious to see what the girl would do. Katara woke the fire again from the embers, and threw some logs in to fuel it. She was unaware that Sesshoumaru was awake, and was watching her, so she was as quiet as possible so as to not disturb everyone. After a while of warming herself by the fire, she leaped up a tree, and began jumping from branch to branch. Sesshoumaru didn't hesitate in following her, curious at the hanyou's actions. Katara kept leaping, always heading in the same direction, her nose sniffing the air. Sesshoumaru wondered at what she was looking for. Suddenly, Katara came to a clearing. Sesshoumaru saw that the clearing was surrounded by Sakura trees, all in full bloom.  
_That's right, cherry blossoms are her favorite._ he thought.  
Katara jumped down from the tree where she was, and sat at the base of one of the Sakura trees. She closed her eyes, breathing in the heavily perfumed air. It was almost intoxicating. She felt lightheaded, as if she was drunk with it. She had some thinking to do. What was happening? She was definetly feeling something around Sesshoumaru, but she couldn't be sure.  
_He's so cold. His amber eyes are always so full of ice and loathing. SO why do I feel like this? Maybe it's cuz we have so much in common. His mom died, and mine is gone as well._   
Sesshoumaru saw Katara frown slightly, her eyes still closed.  
_I wonder what she's thinking? Maybe she's thinking about how terrifying I am. (Corny, I know. He's slightly egotistical at times.) _he thought. He then realized that he didn't want her to fear him. (For lack of a better phrase.)  
_Then what the hell do I want?_ he thought angrily. An answer tickled at the back of his mind, but he did his best to keep it there.  
_No. I am the Lord of the Western Lands! I shouldn't associate myself with half-demons like her._ (baka.)  
He sighed. He looked towards the clearing, and saw that Katara was still sitting under the same Sakura tree. Her eyes were still closed, and he saw that a few rays of sunshine broke through the branches, illuminating her face.  
_She's quite beautiful._ he thought.  
_If she weren't hanyou..._  
He quickly shook himself out of that thought. It didn't matter wether she was hanyou or not! He would not let these feelings get the better of him! A light wind fluttered around him, ruffling his clothes.  
Katara caught a scent in the air. She took a few short, quick sniffs, and realized that she knew who it was. She leaned back against the tree again and called out in an amused tone,  
"Alright Lord Sesshoumaru! Care to tell me what you're doing here?"   
Sesshoumaru was startled, and not just cause she called him "Lord".  
'Stupid!' was all he could think. 'I shouldn't have stayed upwind of her!'  
He walked out from behind the tree he was hiding, and walked into Katara's view. She opened a light crimson eye.  
"So, I don't think you like Sakura trees as much as I do. Now, why don't you tell me why you followed me."   
Sesshoumaru bristled. He took orders from no one, especially not a half breed! Katara sensed that she had said something that upset him, but waited a few moments before talking.  
"Whatever. Don't tell me if you don't have to. Just..." She sat up quickly, her nose in the air.  
"What the fuck?" she muttered. Suddenly she realized what was coming.  
"Sesshoumaru!"   
She threw her whole body at Sesshoumaru, knocking him to the ground. When Sesshoumaru looked up, he saw that an inky black tentacle had Katara. He was startled.  
_What? What's going on?_ He quickly snapped out of his thoughts to the more urgent problem at hand.  
"Sesshoumaru!" Katara's voice could be heard ringing through the clearing. Sesshoumaru unsheathed Tokijin, and hacked off the tentacle holding Katara. She fell to the ground with a thump, but quickly got on her feet again.  
"Thanks." she shot the demon lord a thankful glance.  
He acknowledged it with a nod of his head, his eyes not giving away any emotion. Katara suddenly saw another tentacle appear from the inky black demon. She could see it had extremely sharp spikes, and was heading straight for Sesshoumaru! He was busy with two more tentacles that had appeared, and was oblivious to his impending doom.  
'Oh, no you don't!' she thought. Katara brought out her Kitsuira Boomerang. Sesshoumaru saw the spiked tentacle coming straight at him and jumped out of the way, but not before it sunk one of the spikes deep in his chest.  
"Ugh.", Katara heard him say in pain. She couldn't stand it anymore. Her eyes glowed a darker red now.  
"KITSUIRA BLIZZARDAGA BLADE!"   
She sent the boomerang flying, and Sesshoumaru felt the air in the clearing become very cold. The boomerang struck the demon, freezing it completely. Katara caught the blade again. She shot an urgent look at Sesshoumaru.  
"NOW! SHATTER IT WITH YOUR BLADE!"  
Sesshoumaru lunged at the demon, and shattered it with one blow. Frozen ice went flying everywhere, and Katara saw a Shikon jewel shard hovering where the demon had been. She caught it as it fell down to the ground, and put it in the leather bag at her waist. Suddenly, she heard Sesshoumaru groan, and fall to the ground. She rushed over to him, and examined his wound.  
"Oh wow, this looks bad.", she said to him.  
"I've had worse.", he grunted. She looked at the spike, and found that it was deeply buried in his chest. Luckily, it had missed his heart.  
"I can't take this out now, or you'll start bleeding too much. I need to get you back to camp."  
She took his arm and put it around her shoulder. She hoisted him up to his feet, and began walking. Sesshoumaru was surprised, though he forced himself not to reveal it.   
"But, you're wounded. You can't take me back like this, it'll tire you out!"  
Katara looked at the wound she'd recieved from battle. A gash was running down her side, all the way to her waist. It wasn't very deep, but she could feel herself losing blood.  
'No, I need to get Sesshoumaru to safety first!'  
Amber eyes locked with crimson.  
"There is no way in hell that I'm leaving you out here another minute. We are going back to camp, whether you want to or not!"  
With that, she began walking again, helping Sesshoumaru along. Inwardly, Sesshoumaru was startled. Was she this loyal to everyone? She was willing to put off healing herself, in order to take care of him first.  
'She's so full of fire. Yet, she puts everyone else before herself. Even after the way I treated her.'  
He tried to put her out of his mind, but how could he? Her arm was wrapped around his back, supporting him. Her hand was holding his, the one that was on her shoulder. How could he put her out of his mind, when every step he took was supported by Katara?  
Little by little, step by step, they made their way back to the camp. Rin and Jaken were waiting there, worried out of their minds. Rin ran up to Katara, her little brown eyes huge with shock.   
"Lord Sesshoumaru! Lord Sesshoumaru! Are you alright?" Sesshoumaru nearly smiled at her, the little girl looked so worried.   
"Yes, Rin. I'm fine. I just have a little wound, but I'll be fine."  
Rin let them pass by, looking after them worriedly. Jaken chose to not say anything. He merely sat by the campfire watching the yokai and the hanyou. Katara walked over to a tree by the camp fire, and though she was sorely tempted to just toss him there, she forced herself to carefully set Sesshoumaru at the base of the tree. She was exahusted, but she knew she had to mend his wound first.  
"Sesshoumaru, hang in there. That spike will be out in no time."  
Katara went and found some clean linen from where they kept their supplies, and a bowl with some water to clean his wound. She knew that once the spike was out, there would be a lot of bleeding. She prayed that everything would go right. She kneeled down by Sesshoumaru, unsure about how to do this.  
"Umm, Sesshoumaru?" He grunted to show that he was listening.  
"You're going to have to remove the top of your Kimono so that I can bandage you."  
He complied, and removed the top of his robe, allowing it to slip around his waist. Katara let a small gasp escape her lips. She had been wrong. He wasn't just hot. He was beautiful! He had light skin, and every muscle on his bare chest was chiseled to perfection. She shook her head to clear it, and snapped back to the task. Sesshoumaru was secretly pleased with her reaction, and was amused to see that she was blushing furiously. She grasped the spike with one hand, and attempted to pull it out. It budged a little, but she didn't dilodge it.  
'This is going to take all of my strength. I'll be surprised if I don't pass out from the strain. I guess healing myself will have to wait.'  
Sesshoumaru saw Katara lean back, and reach for the red jewel pendant she wore around her neck. She closed her eyes, and he saw her brow furrowed in concentration.   
'What is she doing?' he wondered.  
He almost gasped when he saw a red misty tentacle reach for the spike burried in his chest, and slowly pull it out. Sesshoumaru saw that his wound was beggining to glow red. Slowly, it began to fill in, to close. Sesshoumaru stared at the girl in wonder. 'How is she doing all of this? And what is that jewel?' The wound closed completely, leaving no mark or scar of the spike that had been lodged in his chest. The glow around Katara began to fade, and she opened her eyes to look at her handiwork. She was examining the place where the wound had been, checking to make sure that it wouldn't open again, when the exahustion caught up to her. The strain of helping Sesshoumaru back to camp, combined with the effort it took her to heal him. Sesshoumaru saw Katara black out, and she fell forward but he caught her. He was surprised at first, but then he got up, and carried her to a cot. He set her down gently and wrapped a blanket around her. He smoothed a strand of silvery blue hair from her face.  
"Thank you, Katara."  
He heard her mumble in her sleep.   
"Sesshoumaru..."  
'Is she dreaming of me?' he wondered.  
'She's so exahusted. She deserves to sleep.' He caught himself yawning.  
'Wait, why am I so tired? Must be an after-effect of her healing. I think I'll...just...'  
Too exhausted to move away, he fell asleep right there beside Katara, breathing in her sweet sakura and vanilla scent.


	9. Chapter 9

Inuyasha woke up from his nap.  
'Ugh, I musta dozed off.' He jumped down from the tree, and looked around.  
'Wait, WHERE'S EVERYBODY!'  
He had a thought, and began to run over to the nearest hot spring. When he got there, his suspicions were confirmed. Kagome was splashing Sango in the Water, and Miroku was slowly sneaking around Sango.  
'Probably up to something lecherous. He must still be bummed that he didn't touch Katara, that pervert!'  
Kagome spotted Inuyasha and swam over to him.  
"Oh, hello Inuyasha!", she said inocenntly.  
Inuyasha looked at her suspiciously.  
"Allright, now why didn't you wake me up if you were going to a spring?"  
Kagome giggled and put on puppy eyes.  
"Aw, cause you looked so cute sleeping in a tree like that! And besides I have enough protection with Sango."  
Inuyasha scratched his head.  
"Feh, I guess. Well, I'll just sit over here and watch you guys play around like kids."  
He began to walk away, but he felt something tug at his kimono.(I had previously written breeches, but that sounded too english. So I put kimono instead.) He looked down, and saw Kagome grinning up evily at him.  
"Oh, no you don't Inuyasha! You're coming in with me!"  
With that, she pulled him in, and he landed face first in the water. He sat up and spit out a mouthful of water. Kagome was looking at him to see his reaction. Suddenly, he grinned.  
"Oh, you want to play huh?"  
He started splashing her with as much water as he could. Kagome shrieked, and began to swim away from him. He caught up to her and dunked her head in the water. She came up sputtering just in time to hear the sound of a hand smaking a certain lecherous monk.  
"HENTAI!"  
Kagome looked toward Miroku, and saw him rubbing the red mark that Sango's hand had left on his cheek. Everyone laughed and they began to splash water around again. Inuyasha broke away from the group, swimming over to a rock. He relaxed into the water, watching Kagome splash Sango and Miroku. Suddenly, he caught a whif of two familiar scents. One smelled like his brother, and the other was that annoying hanyou, Katara.  
'They were here. Together. I guess she finally caught up to him, but I don't smell any scent of a battle. I wonder what's going on between those two. But what do I care what that bastard does with that wench?'  
He closed his eyes feeling relaxed, but still confused about the half-demon girl.  
"INUYASHA!"  
Inuyasha bounded from the tree over to where Kagome was. What is it? What's wrong!"  
He looked around, but couldn't see anything wrong. Kagome was out of the water, a towel wrapped around her. She was sitting down, rocking slowly back and forth.  
"S-s-s-snake! In the w-water!" she looked terrified.  
Inuyasha looked down at her angrily.  
"IS that all! I THOUGHT SOMETHING WAS REALLY WRONG!"

Kagome shook her head.  
"My best friend was bitten by a snake three years ago, while playing in the water. She died in my arms. I'll never forget the fear she had on her face..."  
Inuyasha softened. He could see that Kagome was on the verge of tears. He sat down beside her.  
"Kagome, you don't have to worry about snakes while I'm here. I'll never let anything happen to you. I promise."  
Kagome looked up at him.  
"Promise?" She was like a little kid, crawling into bed with her parents during a thunderstorm. She remembered how much fun she had been having with her friend Haomi, and how much fear she'd seen in Haomi's eyes when that poisonous snake bit her on the ankle. She had feared snakes with a passion ever since. Inuyasha wrapped a tentative arm around her.  
"I promise."  
Kagome sighed and leaned against him, startling him. But he began to breathe in her sweet scent, filling himself with it. They stayed like that for a while, Inuyasha enjoying this one moment with Kagome. (Haha! I made you think something bad was about to happen! But I think this worked out just as well, don't you? This was just a little break from all the Sesshy-Katara business. But now, back to the main story! Although, forgive me for the corny fear of snake things, but the whole, best-friend-being-bitten by a snake thing really happened to me. My current best friend is safe and sound, however. Oh, and my old best friend is alive as well. Yes, she survived, but she moved away.)

* * *

My notes begin! Yeah blame me for writitng all these chapters at once. But I've been soooo busy and it's summer vacation for me so I have time. 


	10. Chapter 10

Katara awoke. Her vison was blurred, and she felt as if she'd drunk half a gallon of vodka. The headache punding through her was enough to make her want to go back to bed.  
_Ugh, why does this always happen? I help a person, and I end up with the pain._  
She shook her head to clear it, and instantly regreted it.  
"OHHHHHHHH!", her headache turned into a full-blown migraine.  
She began to fall back onto her cot, but felt a strong hand holding her. She looked up into amber-colored eyes.  
"Sesshoumaru...ugh! I feel awful!"  
Sesshoumaru's face was emotionless as he held up a cup full of hot liquid to Katara's lips.  
"Here. It's something I keep by if Rin ever get's sick."  
(Yes, he does. Don't even bother arguing with me cuz you ain't gonna win.)  
He tipped some of the liquid into Katara's mouth, his eyes on hers. He was surprised to find that there was nothing but trust engraved in them.  
'How strange. Why would she trust me so unconditionally? I could be poisoning her for all she knows.'  
Katara sputtered and coughed at the spicy liquid that went down her throat. She sat up, instantly feeling better. The headache was gone, and she didn't feel like a limp over-cooked spaghetti noodle anymore. She looked down at her hands, suddenly shy of this demon lord who had helped her.   
"Thanks. That really helped."  
Sesshoumaru wasn't sure of what to say. Wait, yes he was.  
"No Katara."   
Katara looked up, wondering what he was going to say next.  
"I want to...thank you. You used up all of your strenght in helping me, not worrying about yourself until I was healed."   
(Yes, he said that. As I afore mentioned, don't even bother arguing with me about this cuz it's my story.)  
Katara blushed, knowing that if the demon lord said thank you, it was because he really meant it. Somehow, Sesshoumaru didn't look like the type that went around saying thank you to everybody. She noticed something. The wound that she'd had at her side was cleaned and bandaged. She looked up at Sesshoumaru, eyes puzzled.  
"Did you-?"  
Katara saw a smile tugging at Sesshoumaru's lips, but he forced his face to be completely serious. His eyes, however, gave him away.  
"While you were sleeping, I took the liberty of cleaning and bandaging your wound, seeing as I didn't think that you'd be up to it when you awoke."  
Katara's hands moved up to the bandaged wound, examining it. It was neatly bandaged, not too tight nor too lose. She didn't feel that much pain as her hands ran over the bandages, and when she looked up at Sesshoumaru, there was respect in her eyes.   
"You do good work.", she commented.  
Sesshoumaru said nothing, but she could see in his eyes that he was pleased. Katara got up to test her strenght, and found that she could walk without feeling pain. Fighting, however, would be another matter. She tried to run a couple of steps, and cringed as she felt the wound open.  
"Oh, shit. I don't have enough strength to heal myself. I guess I'll have to change the bandages the old fashioned way."  
She went to sit down by a tree, and began to remove her bandages, but a hand stopped her. Amber eyes met pale red ones, and Sesshoumaru said,  
"No, I'll do that. I was the one who bandaged you in the first place."  
Katara started to protest, but Sesshoumaru cut her off.  
"I said, I'll do it."  
The finality of his tone shut Katara up. She lifted her tank top up to mid-waist where the wound ended, and Sesshoumaru began to carefully unravel the white turniquete. He was gentle, making sure that he never touched her wound. A couple of times, his fingers brushed against her stomach as he was unraveling the bandage. Katara relished the feel of his touch, even if she thought that it had been an accident. His touch had the curious effect of spreading warmth all throughout her body, and she had to try incredibly hard to suppress a purr.  
'Curious how I'm falling for a guy who hates my kind. How the hell do these things happen?' she mused.  
Sesshoumaru took a piece of cloth soaked with water and medicinal herbs, and began to gently clean the blood off of the wound. He touched a particularly sensitive spot and Katara winced, but she didn't move a muscle. Sesshoumaru felt that he might have hurt her a bit, and admired that she didn't even move.  
'She's got amazing self-discipline'.  
He began bandaging her wound, letting his fingers touch her torso as much as he could. He liked the feeling of his skin on hers. Her skin was smooth as silk, and a creamy chocolate color. (okay, so he might not have known what chocolate was, but cut me some slack allright?And remember, it's my story so I can make him do whatever I want within reason.)  
He finished attending her wound, and Katara lowered her tank top. Before she could react, she was swept up into Sesshoumaru's arms, bridal style. He paused for a moment, taking in her sweet scent of sakura and vanilla.  
'What is wrong with me? This is not supposed to be! I'm a Lord! I am not supposed to feel these things, especially not towards a hanyou. How the hell do these things happen?'  
Little did he know that Katara was thinking something along the same lines. But right now, sitting in his arms, her arms wrapped around his neck and hanging on for all it was worth, she was thinking,  
'Oh Kami! What the fuck is he doing?' Sesshoumaru slowly walked over to where Katara had been sleeping before, and then gently layed her down on the cot.  
"I just fixed your wound, and I have no intentions of letting it open again. You are not to move until that wound heals more."  
Katara stared up at him.   
"Why the hell do you care wether I heal or not? A little while back, you would have liked me dead.", she asked amazement mixed with bitterness.  
For the first time, Sesshoumaru was flustered. Why DID he care? It's not like this hanyou was his mate. What did he care wether she went and bled to death? He decided not to answer himself, but answered Katara instead.  
"I do not like having to repeat something that can get done in one shot. I don't want to have to be delayed from buisness longer than necessary." he replied, making sure his voice was even and emotionless.  
But Katara wasn't fooled. Not for one second. She had seen the emotions in his eyes. The confusion was evident, and she smelled it on him, too. But what did it mean?  
"Lord Sesshoumaru! Is Katara going to be allright?" Rin came running up to them, concern in her chocolate-colored eyes. Sesshoumaru looked down at the little girl.  
"Yes, Rin. She will be fine soon."  
Rin seemed a bit unsure with this answer, so Katara stepped in.  
"Don't worry Rin! I'll be fine soon. I promise. Although you know, I think some flowers would make me feel a lot better." she replied tactfuly. Rin smiled at the girl, and ran off to find something to do. Katara layed her head down on the floor with a sigh. Sesshoumaru turned.  
"I suppose I should leave you resting then." he said, walking away.  
"Wait!" Katara's voice rang out. Sesshoumaru turned.  
"Could you not? I-I-mean...I hate being alone...and well...You don't have to say anything, just..."   
Sesshoumaru enjoyed watching her stumble around like that, but he decided to put her out of her misery, and went and sat down by her. Katara turned her head to look at him.  
"I know I said you didn't have to talk, and you don't! But...I just wanted to say thanks again."  
Sesshoumaru glanced at her out of the corner of his eye.  
"There's no need to do that." Katara's ears perked up, drinking up every word he said. Sesshoumaru went on.  
"I am merely repaying a debt. Now we are even." Katara's ears drooped immediately.  
This was not unnoticed by Sesshoumaru, but he looked straight ahead, observing Rin as she chased some butterflies.  
'It wasn't like I expected him to do this because he wants to. He's a Lord. Of course he has to repay every debt. And come on, why am I so fuckin' bummed? It's not like I like him, or anything! Do I?' she thought to herself uncertainly.  
Sesshoumaru detected a scent in the air.  
'A demon. I could fight it off, but I need to get Katara to safety first. She can't fight in these conditions.'  
Katara also detected the demon. She wondered what Sesshoumaru was going to do. Sesshoumaru called Jaken over.  
"Take Rin, and get her to the palace. A demon is coming, and she needs to get to safety. Now, Jaken!"  
The little green toad scrambled to do what Sesshoumaru commanded. He didn't dare defy his Lord Sesshoumaru. He could be very dangerous when it came to Rin. Sesshoumaru saw Ah-Un fly off, Rin and Jaken on his back. He Turned to Katara.  
"There's a demon coming. I could fight it, but you might get hurt. You're going to ride on my back."  
Katara was puzzled.  
"Ride on your-?"  
She quickly realized what he meant when he transformed into his full demon form. Katara had to gasp. The creature that stood before her was enormous, but it was beautiful. He had silvery fur that glistened, and seemed almost...majestic. Katara felt something soft lift her into the air, and realized that it was his tail. She stroked it, feeling how soft it was, and soon found herself sitting on top of the demon. The big wolf-like dog turned his head to look at her, and nodded as if to say,  
"Hold on!"  
Katara felt him take off into the air, and soon they were flying high. She began to enjoy it. This was different from leaping. Feeling yourself flying through the air...was magical, almost. For the first time, since her father died, Katara felt truly happy. For a moment, just one moment, she was free of the earth. It seemed as if all her worries were left on the ground. She began to absentmindedly stroke the big wolf-dog's fur. She saw his ear twitch, and withdrew her hand, thinking that "Lord Sesshoumaru" might not like a hanyou to dirty his fur. He gave a whimper, and Katara realized that he DID like her stroking him. She ran her hands through his fur, feeling how soft and whispy it was. She wasn't sure where they were going, but she trusted him.  
'I'm not sure how that happened, me trusting someone who can't stand humans, but whatever.'  
She looked ahead, and saw a shadow in the distance. She squinted her eyes to see if she could get a better view of it. She did. Looming over the distance, was an enormous white palace, and they were coming coser to it.

Sesshoumaru landed in front of the palace. Katara felt a soft furry tail grab her by the waist and put her on the ground gently. She wished she could have stayed up in the sky. She liked the feeling of the wind rushing through her hair, and feeling completely weightless.  
'Maybe if I ask nicely, someday he'll give me another ride.' she thought.  
'When pigs fly!' part of her retorted.  
Katara took a few steps foward, eager to examine the beautiful white palace that stood before her. She looked behind her, and saw that Sesshoumaru had changed into his normal form. He was examining her face, looking for her reaction.   
"This is...your palace?" Katara asked in awe.   
Sesshoumaru nodded, eyes never leaving her face.  
"I guess you weren't kidding when you said you were Lord of the Western Lands!"  
Sesshoumaru shot her a look that plainly said, "As if I'd ever kid."  
Katara stared at the palace. It had a grand marble entrance, with collumns on either side. There was a fountain in the middle of the yard, a wolf howling. Flowers were planted along the path that led up the stairs to the entrance. All in all, Katara found it beautiful. Sesshoumaru walked up the path, and beckoned Katara to follow him. The inside of the palace was even more beauiful than the outside. Everything was white and sparkling. Katara was speechless at the beauty of it all.  
'This man. This demon...MADE this?', was all she could think.  
Sesshoumaru was secretly pleased by her reaction. It had been a while since he had brought anyone to his home, and he liked that someone enjoyed it as much as he did. He led her down a hall, and opened a door. He walked inside, but Katara stood uncertainy at the door.  
"Should I...?", she asked.  
She wasn't sure whether this might be his sleeping quarters. Sesshoumaru nodded, and she stepped inside.   
"This will be your room." was all he said.  
Katara walked over to the bed. She touched the bedding, and it was as soft as silk. She walked over to the window and looked down. She saw the garden, full of fruit, flowers, and trees. She turned around to look at Sesshoumaru.  
"A room...of my own. I-I-" tears began to flow down her cheeks.  
A look of concern crossed Sesshoumarus face, but just as quickly, it was gone. Katara sat down on the bed, and fought for control over her emotions.  
"I've been living in the wild for two years...you don't know how grateful I am, Sesshoumaru." Sesshoumaru walked over to her, and used a crooked finger to bring up her face. He searched it, amber eyes never leaving crimson.  
"Rin needs someone like you. Someone to remind her that she is human. You are welcome to be here whenever you wish."  
At this, tears began flowing down her face again.   
'It's almost as if...he's offering me a home.' she thought.   
Sesshoumaru's hand reached toward her face, and tentatively wiped away a lone tear. Realizing what he had done, he moved away from her.   
'No, I won't let her get to me. She can stay here, but only because of Rin.' he thought fiercely.  
"I need to go take care of some buisness. You are welcome to explore the palace as you wish. I'm sure Rin is around here somewhere." He walked out of Katara's new room, leaving a very confused hanyou, her fingers touching lightly on where his had been a second ago.  
'This gets more intersting by the second.' she mused. Feeling her stomach growl, she decided to go search for a kitchen.  
'Or, whatever they call it here. He's bound to have food somewhere, right?'

Katara walked down the immense halls, confused about where to go. 'This place is bigger than the White House! How does anybody know where anything is?'  
Her sensitive nose caught a scent in the air. 'It smells like...bread!' She decided to just follow her nose, and it took her to a small room full of food, kind of like a pantry. 'Oh wow! Look at all this! Loaves and loaves of bread! I better not take too much, or Sesshoumaru won't be happy.' Katara took a small loaf, and walked out of the room, closing the door behind her. As she walked back to where her room was, she broke off bits and pieces of the bread. 'Hmmmm! It tastes heavenly! I guess Sesshoumaru keeps food for Rin, since I suppose he hunts for his food.' By the time Katara got back to her room, she had eaten all of the bread, and she felt sleepy. 'I should take a nap. Restore my energy. When I wake up I'll heal my wound completely.' She walked over to her bed, and threw herself onto it, falling asleep instantly. For those few peaceful hours that she slept, a silver dog slipped in and out of her dreams.


	11. Chapter 11

Sesshoumaru sat in his immense library, pacing back and forth. 'Why did I bring her here? I could have just put her somewhere else in the land and been done with it! No, here is where she'll be safest. And Rin can always use someone else besides Jaken to look after her.' He walked over to a book laying on a small table. He flipped through it for several seconds, before slamming it shut and putting it down again. 'Used to be that I would never even look at a human. Rin must be making me soft. Now I have not one, but TWO humans living in my palace! How do these things happen?' he asked himself for the tenth time that afternoon. He walked outside to the balcony, hoping that the fresh air would clear his mind. 

Katara awoke suddenly. She wasn't entirely sure why, but she felt that someone was looking at her. She kept her eyes shut, thinking to herself, 'If it's Sesshoumaru, I'm going to smack him for all he's worth. I don't care if he's the Lord of the Western lands, or Lord of Middle Earth! (little LOTR joke) He shouldn't sneak up on me like that!'  
She opened her eyes, and looked into not amber, but chocolate brown-colored orbs.  
Katara sat up on her bed. "Rin? What are you doing here?"  
Rin looked at Katara, her ear-to-ear grin firmly in place. "Lord Sesshoumaru asked me to check on you. You've been asleep for a while! It's already nighttime!" Katara gasped. She felt as if she had just closed her eyes, and now suddenly, it was nightfall. "Well, Rin, you see I'm awake now!" Rin grabbed Katara's hand. "I'm about to go to bed, will you tuck me in?" Katara looked unsure for a moment, but then thought, 'what the hell. She probably hasn't had anybody tuck her in in a while, seeing as she lives with two demons.' Katara nodded, and Rin began walking, dragging Katara along.  
Rin's room was big and spacious. A bed as large as Katara's stood in the middle of the room. There were little toys strewn about the floor, here and there. Rin ran over to her bed, and got in. Katara walked over to her, and began to tuck the sheets in around the little girl. When that was done, Katara began to walk out of the room, but a little voice stopped her. "Katara? Stay with me for a little while." Katara turned and sat at the edge of Rin's bed, right beside her. Katara sat thinking for a moment. She remembered her mother tucking her in at night, and singing to her. She loved to hear her mother sing. "Rin, would you like me to sing for you? My mother used to sing me a song when I was very little, and I still remember it." Rin nodded, and excited grin spread on her face. "Yes, sing Katara! Please!" Katara smoothed Rin's bangs away from her face, and began.  
_Cherry blooms, cherry blooms, pale against the bright spring sky..._

Sesshoumaru was pacing in his study, still thinking about Katara. 'Why is she so confusing? She's different from other humans. Well, she's a hanyou, but that's beside the point. She's very powerful. She proved that when she healed me. Of course, I would have healed eventually, but she did it in a matter of seconds!' He sighed. 'Katara, why do you irk me so?' he asked himself for the three-hundreth time. A haunting tune floated in from down the hall, and reached Sesshoumaru's ears.  
_Reach as far as we can see..._  
Who was singing? He knew it must be from down the hall, but who was it?  
_Misty blossoms in a cloud, smell the perfume on the air..._  
He walked out of the study, following the voice.  
_Come with me, come with me..._  
Sesshoumaru arrived before Rin's bedroom, and stood at the door, listening.  
_Come and see...come and see._  
Sesshoumaru saw Katara smoothing back Rin's hair, almost as if she were her mother.  
'Katara would make a good mother someday. She seems to care for Rin a lot.' he quickly shook himself out of his thoughts and heard Rin ask, "Katara, sing me another one!" Katara laughed. "My, you like my songs? Very well, I'll sing you one more, but then it's off to bed for you." Rin giggled. "I'm already in bed, silly!" Katara laughed, too. "I can see! Well, my mistake. Here, this is one of my favorite songs."  
_Quietly awakening...  
I always, always wish  
that these fleeting thoughts  
would reach you...  
Unable to move forward across "just a little more" distance  
The way I see before me is always blocked  
Every time the days I want to see you but can't pile up,  
My strong heartbeat turns into heartbreak.  
_These words seemed to come from Katara's heart. 'She has a beautiful voice. She seems to be singing from her soul.', thought Sesshoumaru.  
_I think of you  
and that alone is enough  
to make the tears start to flow now  
I always, always wish  
that these fleeting thoughts  
would reach you..._  
'I wonder who she's singing of? She sounds so sad.' he thought.  
(A/N: Oh Kami, Sesshoumaru! Could you be any more dense:))  
_There's definitely things I want to show you  
And so many words I want to hear  
I want to see all sides of you, when you laugh and cry  
So I'll stop waiting  
and seize my "chance."_  
Katara kept singing. Even if she had wanted to, the words would have just kept pouring out of her soul. 'Why am I singing this song? It's not as if he can hea-eep!' Katara had looked around and found that Sesshoumaru was standing at the door of Rin's room, listening. She faltered, but Sesshoumaru shook his head as if saying, "No, go on." Katara turned to Rin again, and found the little girl fast asleep. 'No matter, I'll keep singing. He seems to like it as well.' she thought. She took a deep breath, and kept going from where she had left off.  
_I think of you,  
and I feel like that alone is enough  
to make my heart grow stronger.  
I always, always wish  
that these fleeting thoughts  
would reach you...  
I think of you  
and that alone is enough  
to make the tears start to flow now  
My distant voice can't reach you now, but so that someday  
it definitely will..._  
Katara's voice faded, and she put Rin's hand down gently. She got up, and blowing out the candle, walked out of Rin's room. She very nearly ran over Sesshoumaru, who was standing in the hall, waiting for her. Katara didn't know what to say.  
"Uh, hi. You were listening..." She looked at her feet, as if they were the most interesting thing in the world. She heard Sesshoumaru reply,  
"Yes, I was. I could hear you all the way from my study. You have a very beautiful voice.", though he said this with no expression in his voice. Katara looked up at him, and practically beamed. "Thanks! I used to sing for my dad all the time, that is, before he..." She trailed off. The memory still pained her. She had been incredibly close to her father. He was the only one in her world that understood her. Sesshoumaru understood that she was still in pain, even though it had been about three years. He was still hurting about his mother, too. He changed the subject. "So, that song...that's a nice song." Katara very nearly blushed. "Yeah, um, I remember hearing it once, and I've always loved it." They stood silently for a few minutes, neither sure of what to say. Katara decided to break the silence. "Do you have a library?", she asked hopefully.  
"Yes. It's down the hall.",repied Sesshoumaru.  
"why? Do you like to read?" Katara's face broke out into a huge grin, and Sesshoumaru felt something in his stomach churn. 'What was that? No, I won't pay attention to it.' Katara's voice snapped him out of his thoughts. "I'm sorry, what was that?" Katara repeated what she had just said. "I said, I love to read. I used to lock myself in my room, and just read and read and read. You don't mind if I..." Sesshoumaru looked at her. "No, not at all. You are welcome to the library whenever you want." Katara gave him another smile, the ones that made him feel...well, he wasn't sure what he felt, but all he knew was that her liked her smiles. 'But that's all I like about her!' he thought firmly. Katara began walking off. "I think I'll check it out right now, if that's alright with you." Sesshoumaru nodded, and watched the hanyou girl walk away, the haunting melody of her song still playing in his mind.

Kagome looked up at the star-encrusted sky. (is it me, or does that sound weird?) She sighed, thinking about the problem she had at hand. _I used to think that having two guys fighting over me would be a dream come true. Now, I'm not so sure..._ She fingered the wolf-fang bracelet that Koga had given her. _Koga is so sweet, and he really seems to care about me. Sure, he can be a little possesive, but he's a sweet guy anyway. But...what about Inuyasha? He's rude, crude, and treats me like dirt most of the time! Yet...he can be so tender. The way he held me close yesterday at the spring..._ She sighed, yet again. "Inuyasha...Koga...oh, what am I going to do?", she asked herself softly. Unknown, hidden in the tree above her, was a half-demon wondering the same thing.  
(alright, I'll admit it. I don't really like writting about Inu-Kag right now, but I promise, at the end of the whole story, everything is going to come together like a PB and J sandwich!)


	12. Chapter 12

Katara slammed the book shut and rubbed her eyes, letting loose a tremendous yawn. She had been reading for most of the night, and had found out some pretty impressive things about Sesshoumaru's Western Lands. She was exhausted, but for some reason wanted to keep reading.  
She cracked the book open again, and began to read. _The Feudal Japan territory is divided into four sections ruled over by powerful demons. The Northern Lands, the Southern Lands, the Eastern Lands, and the Western Lands..._

Sesshoumaru walked into the library, and found one very sleepy hanyou still reading. He could tell that she was about to pass out from exhaustion, and wondered how long she had been reading. He walked into the room, and stood right in front of the big comfy chair where she was sitting. He looked at the cover of the book she was reading. _The Western Lands_ 'Strange.' he thought. 'I didn't think she'd be too interested in what goes on in my lands. One more thing to keep me up at night.' Katara was either too absorbed in her book, or she was to tired to notice the demon lord that stood in front of her. "Hello." said Sesshoumaru, startling her. She slammed the book shut, and got up. "L-Lord Sesshoumaru! What brings you here?" Sesshoumaru very nearly had to smile. She must have been so startled, that she actually called him by his proper title. "I live here.", he said stoically.(spelling?)  
Katara seemed to realize what she had said, and looked apologetic. "I-I'm sorry, I'm just so tired. I just finished healing myself, and that always takes a big chunk out of my energy. I-" Sesshoumaru didn't get to hear what she was about to say, because next thing he knew, Katara's hand flew up to her head, and she dropped to the floor. Quick as a flash, Sesshoumaru picked her up in his arms, (yes, ARMS!) and began carrying her to her room. Katara protested, but very little. "Sesshoumaru, put me down! I-I'm fine! Ugh...maybe not.", she said, feeling a headache pounding through her head.  
Sesshoumaru looked down at her. "Of course you're not fine. You need to get some rest, and I intend to make sure you do, Kat.", he realized what he had just blurted out. 'WHAT did I just say! That could not have been me! I'd never call her by anything else than her full name, so why did I say that?', he thought.  
Katara was thinking something along the same lines. _Did he just call me Kat? It sounded like his voice, but it was so unlike him! He doesn't look like the type that would give give someone a nickname. If this wasn't the feudal era, I'd claim that some aliens possesed him. Still, it's a rather cute nick-name, if a bit obvious..._ she mused.  
She rested her head against him, and closed her eyes. Sesshoumaru was...I guess "weirded out" is the term...at first, but then he grew more comfortable. 'She's just tired.' he thought to himself. He was startled to realize something. 'Is she...purring?' But it was true, the cat hanyou was fast asleep, and definetely purring. 'I hope she didn't notice the "Kat" remark. Why DID I let that slip? It's not like I was thinking it...' Sesshoumaru entered her room, and set her down on the bed gently. Katara opened her eyes and lifted her arm slightly, as if reaching out to him. Sesshoumaru thought he saw fear engraved in her crimson eyes. 'What is she so afraid of?' He took her hand, and suddenly felt himself being pulled away from his body. 'What the-!' He found himself standing in a dark place, light coming from somewhere, but there was no source visible. 'Where am I?' He tried to speak, to call out, anything, and found his voice useless. 'Why can't I talk? What is this place?'  
_You're in my mind._ he heard a voice say inside his head, just as he saw Katara step out of the shadows.  
'I'm WHERE!' Even though his expression was stoic, his tone of voice said otherwise.  
Katara remained relatively calm, even though she knew he wasn't supposed to be here. If _it_ found out, it might get out of her control.  
'You're in my mind.' she repeated. 'I brought you here.'  
He glared at her.  
'And why would you do that?'  
She looked at her feet, a sheepish expression playing on her face.  
'I'm not sure. It was kind of an accident. You touched me just as it was dragging me away, so it dragged you in with me.'  
Sesshoumaru looked confused. This talking telepatically felt weird. Katara's voice resounded in his head, instead of around him. He focused back on what she was saying.  
'It? Who's "It"?' he asked her. She walked up to him, closing the space between them.  
'Something got loose. Something bad. I'm not sure what it is, but it's inside my mind, feeding off of me. It's a parasite.'  
She looked into his piercing amber eyes.  
'It's a curse.'  
She turned away from him and looked out into the darkness.  
'It's in there. Waiting. waiting for me. I didn't think it would come so soon.'  
Sesshoumaru was frustrated. What was she talking about? What was this...thing waiting for her?   
'Katara, you're not making any sense.'  
She turned around abruptly, facing him.  
'You have to go. You have to get out of here! If it comes...if it get's loose...'  
Sesshoumaru put a hand on her shoulder, and sqeezed it lightly.  
'I'm not going anywhere, Katara. If something is after you, I'm going to help you fight it.'  
She looked up at him, and he saw that she was on the verge of tears.  
'That's just it, Sesshoumaru! I **can't** fight it! The most I could do is lock it up, until it gets out again! And probably not even that, seeing as my energy is sapped.'  
Sesshoumaru still had his hand on her shoulder.  
'Katara, what is this thing that's after you?'  
She looked away from him.  
'I told you! It's-'  
She paused, listening. Sesshoumaru detected a scent of pure fear coming from her.  
'It's coming. It's loose.' He felt her shaking, and he wondered just what could make this cool and collected hanyou shake like that. Katara turned around to face him.  
'Sesshoumaru, you have to get out of here! Leave!'  
Sesshoumaru saw something slither in and out of the shadows. He fixed his cold gaze on Katara.  
'I'm not going anywhere.'  
Katara looked up at him, eyes wide with shock.  
'What?'  
'I'm...not...going...anywhere. I'm staying right here until you're safe.'  
She could feel herself blushing, and turned away. Suddenly she rammed into Sesshoumaru. Hard. They both lied on the floor, Katara on top of him. They both looked up, and saw something that made their blood run cold. Right where Sesshoumaru had been standing, was a giant, slimy, snake-like demon, baring all 500 sharp pointy fangs.(If you've ever Watched Buffy The Vamp. Slayer, picture the demon that the Mayor became on Buffy's graduation.)  
'Don't try to run, Katara...' They heard a venemous voice whisper.  
Sesshoumaru realized that the voice was coming from the demon. Of course, it was speaking to them in their minds.  
'You know I'll get you eventually, sssssssssssso why don't you come to me now, and make thisssssssss eassssssssier on yourssssssssself.'  
Sesshoumaru felt Katara get up, and saw that she was in a daze. He wondered what was wrong with her. Why was she going toward the demon?  
'That'sssssssss right. Come to me, Katara.'  
Katara kept walking toward the giant snake, oblivious of anything going on around her.  
The demon's tail suddenly came out of the darkness, and wrapped itself around Katara.  
Sesshoumaru saw that the demon had done something to her.  
'Katara, wake up! Get away from this demon!'  
Katara couldn't hear him. Her eyes were locked onto the demon's.  
Sesshoumaru got up and reached toward Katara, grasping her hand. It was as if a spell had been lifted. She looked at him, bewildered.  
'Sesshoumaru...Where am I?'  
'Beat this demon, Katara. Lock it away.'  
She nodded and let go of his hand, grasping the jewel pendant on her neck. Seeing Sesshoumaru there, cheering her on silently, gave her the burst of energy she needed.  
The jewel in her hand began to glow red. The demon dropped her, and scurried away into the darkness.  
'Oh, no you don't!' she thought fiercely.  
'YOU'RE NOT GETTING AWAY THAT EASILY!'  
A light burst from the jewel, cutting through the darkness, and hitting the demon. Katara saw red chains appear around every extremity, chaining him to that part of her mind. She knew it wouldn't hold him for long, but she hoped that it would be for long enough.  
She took Sesshoumaru's hand, wrapping her fingers around his, and looked up into his amber eyes.  
'Let's get outta here.'


	13. Chapter 13

Sesshoumaru awoke, happy to be back in his body. 'I'm glad Katara managed to fight that demon inside of her. But why is it in there in the first place?' He yawned, and then realized that he was laying right beside the hanyou. His hand was still grasping hers, and she was leaning in toward him a little. He ran his other hand lightly through her hair, feeling the silky smoothness. He heard her stir, and quickly got up. 'I have GOT to get over this...infatuation. She's hanyou, I'm demon, end of story. NOTHING is going to be between us.' he told himself firmly._ (A/N: Why is Sesshoumaru in denial? I don't know. Ask just-a-little-crazy when she wakes up. All I know is that he doesn't want to love. How badly that's turning out for him:)_  
Katara rolled over onto her back, and gave a soft moan. She sat up on the bed, rubbing her temples.(Beds were on floors back then. Remember that.)  
She looked up at him, and amber eyes locked onto crimson. "Kami, Sesshoumaru! I have such a killer headache." She looked away from him, like she always did when he turned his gaze 100 on her. It felt as if his eyes could pierce a hole right through her. She got up, and stood in front of him. "I-I mean, about what happened...well, thanks." Sesshoumaru didn't feel akward anymore when Katara thanked him for something. He had grown acostumed(spelling?) to accepting her thanks. But somehow, this was different. Katara looked up into his eyes again. "You know what? I think I need to tell you everything." she said, grabbing his hand. This definetly startled him. Katara's hand was warm underneath his, and he really didn't expect her to explain to him what had happened back there. He thought that everyone deserved to keep some secrets to themselves. Katara practically dragged him down the hall, stopping only to look in on Rin. She was still asleep. 'Good.' she thought. 'This will give us more time to talk.' She walked into the library, unaware that she was still holding a very surprised Demon Lord's hand. When she realized that, she quickly let go, and began to blush profusely, something that Sesshoumaru noticed. 'It's kind of funny. She does all these things like she doesn't even think them through, and then she's embarassed.' he thought amused. Katara noticed that his expression had softened slightly, almost as if he wanted to smile. 'I wish he would. He would probably look handsome if his face wasn't always so serious. I mean, he is handsome, but smiling wouldn't hurt.' She walked over to the window looking out into the garden, aware that Sesshoumaru's eyes were following her every move. Sesshoumaru was anxious to find out what had happened last night, but he could tell it was hard on her. 'No matter. I can wait.' he thought.  
Katara looked out the window absentmindedly. She was trying to put together everything that she needed to tell him. She had never told anybody her secret, but Sesshoumaru had saved her, in a sense, and she felt like he should know more about what had happened last night.  
She turned around and faced him.  
"About last night...Kami, how do I explain this?" Katara took a deep breath.  
"Sesshoumaru?" Even though he didn't answer, she could tell he was listening. His eyes were attentively on her.  
"Do you think, maybe we could...go outside?" Sesshoumaru knew that Katara felt more comfortable talking if she was outside. Hadn't they done just that a little over 3 days ago?  
"Very well. Let's go then."  
Katara smiled, and walked out of the library, Sesshoumaru on her heels. They walked out through the grand entrance, and headed toward the garden.  
From inside the castle, the garden had seemed beautiful to Katara. But now that she was standing in the midst of it, she could see it for what it truly was: magnificent. It was in full bloom, and a thousand smells assaulted her nose. Daffodils, Snapdragon, roses, and then faintly underneath all of those strong smells, was a soft scent that Katara knew well. "I don't remember seeing a Cherry Blossom tree from my window." she commented to Sesshoumaru. His face remained stoic, though his voice leaked a bit of amusement.  
"That might be because there has never been one here." Katara looked puzzled.  
"But then...where is it coming from?" she asked, looking around. Suddenly, a cold gust blew through the garden, rustling the trees and flowers. Katara looked at Sesshoumaru.  
"Does that wind smell...natural to you?" she asked him. The same stoic expression remained on his face, though Katara saw that he was frowning slightly. (Picture him when he thinks about Inuyasha. Yeah, that's how he looks now.) Katara saw cherry blossoms fly by her, settling on the wind. "I thought you said there isn't a Sakura tree around here!" Sesshoumaru's frown deepened. "There isn't."  
"Then where..." Katara saw the cherry blossoms swirl around in front of her, forming a pillar. Suddenly, the wind died down, and the cherry blossoms settled around the feet of a woman that was now standing in the middle of the garden. Her hair was a silvery white, her skin was pale, but still beautiful. She had a purple four-pointed star in the middle of her forehead, and two crimson stripes on either side of her face. To Katara and Sesshoumaru, the mysterious woman smelled like a demon...and did not. She was something else entirely. The most startling thing about the woman, was that she had pale crimson eyes, just like Katara.


End file.
